EMAS Award 2017: For a strong European Circular Economy

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Awards 2017 are devoted to the current topic of the circular economy. The EU Commission will honour EMAS organisations for achievements in resource friendliness and efficiency gains on 8 May 2017 in Malta. 

The prestigious award for companies and organizations is taking place in 2017 with the motto "For a strong European circular economy". The issue is of great political and economic importance to the European Union (EU). The European Commission has been organizing the EMAS Awards since 2005 to honour organisations and companies across Europe that distinguish themselves by their top environmental performance.

With their systematic environmental management processes, EMAS-registered organisations are in a position to become pioneers on the path to a closed circular management. The EU is therefore looking for measures or initiatives that significantly aid in creating a more circular economy. The aim is to disseminate such strategies and measures within the EU, thereby contributing to a more environmentally friendly and circular economy. The aim is to maintain the value of products, substances and resources within the economy for as long as possible and to generate as little waste as possible. EMAS-registered organisations had the opportunity to apply through 15 February in one of three categories: small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large companies, or public administration organisations. In their application, the applicants had to demonstrate how they contribute to aligning their processes or their business model to a more circular orientation. This may include optimising resource yields, minimising waste, or improving the design of products and processes to increase their service life.

In each member state, the competent bodies responsible for coordinating EMAS at the national level will examine the applications and select a nominee for each of the three categories. The selected nominees will then be evaluated by an independent jury consisting of experts in EMAS and recycling.

adelphi is supporting the European Commission in organising the EMAS Awards and in selecting honourees. Further information on EMAS and the EMAS Awards can be found on the EMAS website.