Currently more than 3,600 organisations in Europe use EMAS to help implement their environmental management. EMAS, short for European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, is the world's most ambitious environmental management instrument.
In order to improve EMAS's use for organisations and to continue to adapt the policy, the European Commission regularly evaluates and revises EMAS. The last revision occurred in 2010. To aid the Commission in deciding whether or not a further revision of EMAS is necessary at this time, adelphi has been commissioned to conduct an EMAS evaluation study. Together with the Institute of Management at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy, adelphi will analyse the EMAS status quo as well as develop and explore scenarios for the further development of EMAS.
Among the topics to be examined in the evaluation are EMAS's environmental effects and its influence on the innovation capacities of the EMAS-registered organisations. In addition, the study will look at the opportunities and barriers for a further development of EMAS as well as EMAS's relationship to other EU political instruments such as the newly developed Organisation Environmental Footprint or Green Public Procurement. Due to be published in late 2014, the EMAS evaulation will be based on extensive literature research in addition to a survey administered to relevant actors in all EU member states.