EMAS Awards 2019 – apply now!

The European Commission is once again holding the European EMAS Awards, this time with the theme ‘EMAS as driver of change’. The awards aim to find the best strategies and initiatives to achieve international sustainability goals. The application deadline is 29 May 2019.

The prestigious award from the EU Commission recognises EMAS organisations that have demonstrated special achievements related to environmental issues. Sustainability is on the agenda for 2019.

With their systematic environmental management processes, EMAS-validated organisations are well placed to take pioneering steps towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate targets. In this way, they can serve as a role model for others. The EMAS Awards 2019 intend to reward the best strategies and actions aimed at increased sustainability in the economy.

The jury takes three aspects into account:

1. To what extent has a strategy for promoting sustainable change been developed and implemented?
2. What positive, ecologically sustainable impact do the initiatives and projects have?
3. To what extent do initiatives have positive effects for stakeholders?

The application is open to all companies and organisations that have a valid EMAS registration. The award is given in five categories:

• Small companies
• Medium-sized companies
• Large companies
• Small public administration organisations
• Medium and large public administration organisations

European EMAS Awards will be held in Bilbao, Spain

The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) is organising the national nomination process. The winners of the five categories will participate in the European competition.

The European EMAS Awards will be held in Bilbao, Spain in November 2019. A tribute to the national winners will take place at the end of 2019 as part of a panel discussion at the Federal Ministry for the Environment in Berlin. All companies and organisations that participate in the competition will be invited to take part.

The application deadline is Wednesday, May 29, 2019

The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) is accepting applications and coordinating the selection process. Nominees will be selected by a jury composed of experts from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the Federal Environment Agency, the Deutschen Akkreditierungs-und Zulassungsstelle für Umweltgutachter mbH (DAU), the EMAS Advisory Board and the DIHK.

The application form is available for download on the DIHK website. For questions about the application process, contact the DIHK by email via emasdihk [dot] de (emas[at]dihk[dot]de) or by phone at 030/20308-2205.

Additional information

Information page and application for the German competition (dihk.de)

European EMAS Award information page (ec.europa.eu)

Winners of the EMAS Awards 2017 (emas.de)

About EMAS

The EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is the system with the highest standards worldwide for environmental management and environmental impact auditing. The EMAS Advisory Board (UGA) is an independent advisory body of the Federal Ministry for the Environment. As a multi-stakeholder forum, the UGA brings together various stakeholders in the field of environmental management and is actively involved in the implementation and dissemination of the European environmental management system, EMAS.