Abstract:

The idea of sustainable development is one of the key ideas in the process of economic development. Environmental management systems play an important role in fulfilling this idea, introducing a high management culture in the sphere of protection of natural resources in organisations, their external environment, as well as the behavior of people. The EMAS system, although still not very popular in most European countries, including Poland (68 registered organisations (2021)), but assuming much greater requirements in the field of environmental protection than the popular ISO 14001 standard, may in the future play a much greater role in promoting behavior environmentally friendly not only in the economic sphere, but also beyond it – for example in public organisations and institutions. In addition to analyzing the available statistics, the author conducted his own research on organisations that have implemented the EMAS system, showing its strengths, weaknesses and prospects for further development.