Shedding light on the motivations and performance of the eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)

This work aims to shed light on the motivations and environmental performance of Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) registration, the more demanding voluntary certifiable international standard to adopt envi-ronmental management systems in organizations. Based on a systematic review and analysis of the outcomes of 73 scholarly empirical works published in the period from 1998 to 2021 the work makes an original contribution to the scholarly literature with the definition of a research agenda with avenues for further research. The sources of motivations related to EMAS are found to be diverse and contingent to a set of factors. Regarding performance, the results showed a mixed picture with a greater prevalence of studies underlining a positive impact of EMAS adoption. Deep implications for managers, policy makers and other stakeholders are discussed.

Automated summary

This work examines the motivations and environmental performance of EMAS registration, an international standard for environmental management systems. Based on a review of 73 scholarly works, it provides a research agenda for further exploration. The findings highlight diverse motivations for EMAS adoption and a mixed picture of its impact on performance. The implications for managers, policy makers, and stakeholders are discussed.