An Assessment Framework of Environmental Management Practices of EMAS Certified Firms

Abstract

This article describes how the Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is considered an effective means for firms to address environmental challenges such as wastewater treatment, solid waste management, recycling practices and air emissions control. Many of the present studies have mainly employed statistical and econometric methods to examine the role of EMAS certification, principally to identify potential relationships with economic and innovation parameters. This article aims to contribute to this academic field by analyzing the type of environmental issues addressed by EMAS certified firms. The method of analysis is based on the scoring/ benchmarking techniques for analyzing environmental statements published by EMAS certified firms. An application is made in a sample of EMAS certified Greek firms. The findings show that different environmental management practices have been undertaken by firms of different sectors. In general, the examined firms have focused on energy consumption, water reduction, solid waste management and air emission control issues, with little attention given to biodiversity topics. Finally, the best environmental scores were achieved by the petroleum industry, while the food sector ranked last overall.