Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Help Desk
The EU's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Regulation establishes a voluntary environmental management scheme open to industrial companies operating in the EU. The overall objective of the scheme is to promote continuous improvement of industry's environmental performance, by committing specific sites to evaluate and improve their environmental performance and provide relevant information to the public. The EMAS Help Desk was set up to satisfy the demand for information about EMAS and is operated by the European Organization for Testing and Certification (EOTC) under contract to the European Commission, DG XI. It provides an Enquiry Service which responds to questions on EMAS, maintains and distributes a list of EMAS-registered sites, and prepares and disseminates both general information packages and technical information on the scheme. The EMAS Help Desk has recently launched a Web site, which provides easy access to information on EMAS, such as: - An introduction to EMAS; - An overview of the scheme; - Progress to date and current issues; - Information on designation of accreditation and competent bodies; - Official, technical and support documents; - Updated lists of registered sites; - List of accredited verifiers. The Web site also offers the opportunity to send questions on EMAS by e-mail to the Help Desk and to subscribe to the free mailing list service.