Europe braces for 'eco-audit/: standardizing the acronyms. (European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) (Special Report: ISO 9000)

Europe is preparing for the implementation of the European Eco-

Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in May 1995. The scheme will catapult firms from the familiar realms of quality management systems such as ISO 9000 into the more daunting area of environmental management systems that require regular third-party audits of plants and the reporting of environmental performance data.

Although the European Commission (Brussels) has made EMAS voluntary, many observers recognize that, in fact, companies have no choice but to adopt the scheme. If a minority of companies do not register they will be discriminated against in business, but if a majority fail to register the commission will probably make the scheme compulsory. The main challenge: How to bridge the gap between quality management systems such as ISO 9000 and EMAS.

One solution, favored by the European chemical industry council (Brussels), is to broaden the base of ISO 9000 using the Responsible Care system. Another option is to adopt one of a number of European standards for environmental management systems (EMS). All of these standards are related, as they are based upon the oldest and most proven system--the British Standards Institute's (BSI) BS 7750 environmental management system. Having undergone testing and revision since 1992, BS 7750 is now widely accepted as a benchmark by the Irish, French, German, and Dutch standards authorities. EMAS will almost certainly incorporate large parts of BS 7750's management system.

MORE ASPECTS. Christoph Lange, of the German standards …