As part of the normal legislative process, both the EMAS regulation and the regulation relating to the European Ecolabel are regularly reviewed and adapted. In preparation for the amendment, adelphi, together with its partners, was commissioned to conduct an analysis of the status quo with regard to the two instruments. The analysis included an assessment of their environmental effects and their effects on the competitiveness of the participating companies. It also considered the obstacles and opportunities for further development of the instruments. The study was based on extensive literature research and on a survey among 280 relevant parties from all member-states of the EU.
The resultant options for potential action drawn up incorporated a range of variants for cooperation and combination of the two instruments as well as outlining various scenarios for ongoing development, such as integrating CSR elements into EMAS, transforming EMAS into a code of principles, or strengthening the communications aspects of it.