Comparison of the British and German approach towards the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

Abstract

The fact that there are currently many more German than British sites registered under the environmental management standard EMAS delivered interesting aspects for research into possible reasons for the unbalanced situation. This study particularly investigates whether credibility worries that have been raised concerning the German way of implementing the scheme are justified. Two postal surveys were conducted to analyse characteristics of EMAS, BS7750 (the British Standard on Environmental Management Systems) and ISO14001 (the International Standard on Environmental Management Systems – Specification with Guidance for Use), which superseded BS7750 in September 1997. The pre-existence of the British Standard as a factor in influencing UK companies to refrain from registration under the EMAS was a consideration. Statistical analysis was used to ascertain whether participation in EMAS was influenced by different characteristics and requirements of different environmental management standards. The investigation also included interviews with experts and practitioners in the field. The study revealed central issues that included the attractiveness of ISO14001 in the UK context and deficiencies in the German accreditation system of environmental verifiers in relation to EMAS. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.