EMAS Webinar Recap: Chemistry in Action

On November 26, 2025, a webinar organised by the EU EMAS Helpdesk brought together stakeholders from the chemical industry to explore how the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) can support companies in navigating Europe's demanding regulatory landscape whilst driving sustainability and competitiveness. The event examined the latest developments in chemical regulation, the role of EMAS in environmental management, and featured practical insights from EMAS-registered organisations across Europe.

The webinar opened with a welcome from Malgorzata Golebiewska of the European Commission’ Directorate-General for Environment (DG-ENV), emphasising that EMAS is not just a badge of honour but a tool for real change. As the chemical sector evolves, there is a unique opportunity to make processes more sustainable, benefiting both the planet and competitiveness. For chemical companies, this means optimising resources, cutting waste, and enhancing compliance, all whilst boosting operational efficiency.

The Revised CLP Regulation: Strengthening Chemical Safety

Jordane Wodli from the European Commission's DG-ENV provided a comprehensive overview of the recent revision of the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. As a cornerstone of EU chemical legislation, the CLP Regulation underpins other frameworks such as REACH, pesticides, and biocides regulations, as well as voluntary schemes like the EU Ecolabel.

The revision addresses three main areas identified during the regulation's assessment: incomplete identification and classification of hazardous chemicals, suboptimal hazard communication, and implementation difficulties. Key improvements include clarified rules for multi-constituent substances (MOCS), new hazard classes for endocrine disruptors and persistent, mobile, and toxic substances, and enhanced grouping approaches to avoid animal testing and speed up classification.

The revision also improves hazard communication through updated labelling rules, a framework for digital labelling to facilitate multilingual communication, and clarifications on online sales and advertising of hazardous chemicals. An omnibus package currently under negotiation will postpone certain compliance deadlines to January 2028, providing companies with additional time to adapt whilst opening up digital labelling options and simplifying formatting requirements.

EMAS: A Framework for Performance, Transparency, and Credibility

Maria Passalacqua, representing the EU EMAS Helpdesk, outlined how EMAS provides a structured approach to environmental management that goes beyond legal compliance. The scheme is built on three core elements that form the DNA of EMAS: performance, transparency, and credibility. Organisations implement actions to improve environmental performance and ensure legal compliance, make their achievements publicly available through an annual environmental statement, and have this information validated by independent environmental verifiers.

EMAS offers significant benefits for organisations in the chemical sector. Studies show that 70% of EMAS-registered organisations improve on almost all six core environmental indicators: energy efficiency, material efficiency, water use, waste generation, land use with regard to biodiversity, and emissions. Additional benefits include improved legal compliance with reduced risk of breaches, stronger staff awareness, reduced risks of environmental accidents, cost savings through circularity approaches, and improved stakeholder relations. In some Member States, regulatory relief such as reduced inspections or tax advantages is also available.

Contrary to common perception, EMAS is suitable for organisations of all sizes. Statistics show that 70-75% of EMAS-registered organisations are micro or small enterprises. In the focus sector of the webinar specifically, over 62% of EMAS registrations fall under the chemicals category, followed by rubber and plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Germany leads in registrations in the three sectors, followed by Italy, Spain, and Austria.

Integrating Chemical Management into Environmental Management Systems

Robert Pochyluk from the Polish Forum for Environmental Management presented ongoing work on a handbook for managing chemicals as part of environmental management systems, developed through the EU LIFE programme project " Chemicals Risk Management and Assessment of Alternatives: Tools and best practices to support circularity, create more sustainable products and avoid regrettable substitution – LIFE FitforREACH-2". The project aims to initiate or improve implementation of chemical risk management systems in businesses and reduce the use of hazardous substances and related exposures.

The handbook will provide guidance on how to use EMAS to better manage chemicals in business operations, addressing the fact that whilst EMAS is a flexible tool, chemicals are gaining increasing importance in environmental management. This is evidenced by recent changes to the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), which now directly addresses hazardous substances in Article 14a on environmental management systems. The handbook will refer explicitly to key EMAS annexes and EU chemical legislation such as CLP, REACH, and the IED, providing sector-specific examples. 

Sustainability Practices in the Chemical Sector

The heart of the webinar featured case studies from EMAS-registered organisations demonstrating how the scheme supports practical environmental improvements:

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Austria: Michael Prochaska, Senior Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist, shared insights from 18 years of implementing EMAS at the pharmaceutical manufacturing site in Linz. The facility, which produces active pharmaceutical ingredients in 100-kilogramme to multi-tonne scale, has been EMAS-registered for 26 years. The company runs on 100% renewable electricity and has implemented comprehensive measures to address its proximity to the Danube River, recognising the environmental importance of this waterway that passes through 10 European countries. Beyond regulatory compliance, the site conducts risk assessments for each substance using predicted environmental concentration versus predicted no-effect concentration concepts, even when not legally required. EMAS has enabled the facility to replace certain reporting requirements, reduce inspection intervals for IED facilities from annual to every three years, and maintain strong local public reporting even within a global sustainability framework. Employee suggestions have driven significant improvements, demonstrating the value of the participative approach embedded in EMAS.

KAO Corporation, S.A.U., Spain: Olga Ferrer, Safety, Health and Environment Manager, presented the journey of KAO Corporation, which joined the KAO Group in 2017 and achieved EMAS registration after a long trajectory with environmental certifications. The company, which operates three sites in Catalonia producing surfactants, fragrances, aroma chemicals, and other specialty chemicals, was one of the first to join the Responsible Care programme in Spain and obtained ISO 14001 certification in 2002-2003. However, the company found that ISO certification alone did not adequately communicate their environmental trajectory and achievements to external stakeholders, leading to the decision to implement EMAS. The company has focused on climate change mitigation through renewable energy sources, process optimisation, and the installation of a new biomass steam boiler that will make one site practically carbon neutral. KAO is also working to quantify and reduce Scope 3 emissions and has analysed climate change risks, identifying drought and water availability as key threats to business continuity. The company emphasises that best practices are not just about major investments but also everyday actions—such as cleaning vessels with minimum water or emptying drums completely—that collectively make a significant impact.

KAO Chimigraf, S.L.U., Spain: Zaida Montenegro, Quality, Safety, Health and Environment Manager, explained how KAO Chimigraf, a global leader in inks and varnishes for flexographic and inkjet printing with 170 employees across seven sites, built upon an already mature ISO 14001 system when pursuing EMAS certification in 2023. The company found that EMAS certification brought significant additional value: strengthened data verification and traceability, increased environmental indicators enabling better process analysis and benchmarking with sector peers, and enhanced transparency that drives continuous improvement. The company has mapped material inflows, discovering that approximately 50% of raw materials come from renewable sources and 50% from non-renewable sources—a crucial exercise for understanding environmental impact. The company views EMAS as an excellent preparation tool for upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requirements, providing a solid foundation for data consistency and stakeholder reporting.

Conclusion

The webinar highlighted the vital role EMAS can play in helping chemical sector organisations meet sustainability targets whilst navigating a demanding regulatory framework. By adopting EMAS, companies can systematically reduce resource use, minimise environmental impacts, demonstrate credibility through transparent reporting, and build resilience in the face of evolving regulations and climate challenges. The practical examples from Austria and Spain demonstrated that the journey towards greener chemistry is already well underway, with tangible benefits for both organisations and the environment. As the sector continues to evolve, embracing EMAS as a strategic tool will be essential for achieving long-term competitiveness, innovation, and sustainability.

For those interested in learning more, the webinar recording and presentation slides from all speakers are available at the event page linked below.