Establishing a legal framework for EMAS Global in China

Environmental performance of the Chinese industry sector has not yet reached international levels of good practice. The project aimed to improve the situation since the demand for sustainable products "made in China" is ever increasing. Together with several project partners, adelphi introduced EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) in Chinese companies and production sites of European enterprises. About 500 Chinese environmental consultants have been trained and have assisted 100 Chinese enterprises up to their official EMAS registration.

adelphi linked European and Chinese government officials and experts and has been assigned with the tasks of developing training and information materials, holding presentations for Chinese stakeholders and running a help-desk. It is also aimed to establish the legal framework which will lead to a fully operational national EMAS Global governance structure, including a system to control compliance and to monitor environmental performance of EMAS registered organisations through an external organisation.

Project partners included the Chinese Ministries of Environmental Protection and of Science and Technology. German automotive supplier Schaeffler and Italian FAAM Group, a producer of lead batteries and electric vehicles, supported the project.

The EMAS Global project was part of the SWITCH Asia Programme, which was launched by the European Union as a grants programme for regional environmental initiatives. SWITCH-Asia aims to promote the adoption of Sustainable Consumption and Production among small and medium sized enterprises and consumer groups in Asia.