The five candidates at the national level to compete in the 2019 edition of the EMAS awards of environmental management have already been selected by the General Directorate of Biodiversity and Environmental Quality, the General Directorate of Water and representatives of some autonomous communities.
The European Commission has been awarding these awards since 2005 in order to identify the best strategies and measures carried out by the entities registered in the EU EMAS instrument, a system of eco-management and eco-auditing to which companies can voluntarily adhere.
In this edition, the contest is inspired by the motto "EMAS as the engine of change towards a sustainable transition". A jury made up of experts and representatives of the organizations awarded in the previous edition will decide the winning entities, which will be announced at the delivery ceremony that will take place in November in Bilbao.
The EMAS system, the acronym of the English Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, is a management and audit system that contributes to the achievement of the Objectives of the Paris Agreement, as well as Sustainable Development Goals. The entities registered in EMAS are trained to carry out pioneering measures in the realization of a sustainable transition.
The selected companies
The five national candidates selected to compete at a European level are: Laboratorios Servier S.L., based in Castilla-La Mancha, in the category of large private companies; Victoria Eugenia Hospital, based in Andalusia, in the private medium-sized companies; Agroamb Prodalt, S.L., based in Galicia, in that of small private companies; Port Authority of Barcelona, based in Catalonia, in the category of medium public organizations; and the Port Authority of Cartagena, based in Murcia, in the category of small public organizations.
The selection criteria for the candidate entities are based on environmental, economic and social aspects, all of them fundamental to promote a sustainable transition. These areas, as a whole, allow a holistic and long-term vision that generates a very positive impact on sustainable development.
In particular, the first selection criterion analyzes the implemented measures that have generated a positive environmental impact. The second evaluates the economic aspects, valuing that the business development plan of the organization promotes that its business model is more sustainable. The third criterion focuses on the social sphere, that is, on how the entity has positively influenced the environmental behavior of the interested parties (customers, suppliers, employees, administrations, neighbors, etc.).
- Laboratories Servier S.L. is a company in charge of designing, developing and producing products for the pharmaceutical industry from a responsible perspective in the use of resources and the promotion of global and sustainable development.
- The Victoria Eugenia Hospital, for its part, stands out for the measures carried out to reduce its environmental impact on the Guadalquivir River and its green areas thanks to the implementation of an EMAS system.
- The agricultural company Agroamb Prodalt, S.L produces fertilizers based on organic waste generated in the primary sector and in the agri-food sector. Thanks to this work, in 2018 alone, they recycled nearly 100,000 tons of organic waste and reduced the use of chemical fertilizers.
- The Port Authority of Barcelona It stands out for the development of its Air Quality Improvement Plan, which is committed to the promotion of cleaner fuels within the port logistics chain.
- The Port Authority of Cartagena aims to become a reference in terms of effective and sustainable management of its services.
Spain is located in a leading position, being the third country with the highest number of EMAS registries (it currently has 835 registered entities) after Germany (1,215) and Italy (930).