Brussels, 08/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The names of the six organisations which won this year's annual EMAS Awards, which are held in the framework of the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), were announced on the evening of Monday 7 April in Hanover, at a ceremony organised by the European Commission on the sidelines of the sixth European Eco-Innovation Forum. These organisations have been recognised for the excellence of the innovative solutions they are successfully implementing to improve their environmental performance. The theme chosen for the EMAS Awards 2014 was “Effective eco-innovations supporting improvements in environmental performance”.
Janez Potocnik, Commissioner for the Environment, paid tribute to the “levels of creativity, excellence and engagement shown by the entries for the EMAS Awards 2014”, adding that “eco-innovation not only brings environmental benefits, but also makes sound business sense”.
The prizewinners are as follows:
For the private sector: - in the micro-organisations category: VAS. & EK. KOTTARIDI G.P. (Greece); - in the small organisations category: HR Björkmans Entrémattor AB (Sweden); - in the medium-sized organisations category: Sächsische Bildungsgesellschaft Dresden mbH (Germany); - in the large organisations category: Voestalpine VAE + Weichensysteme + HYTRONICS GmbH (Austria).
The public sector: - in the small organisations category: Aeropuerto de Menorca (Spain); - in the large organisations category: Umweltbundesamt (Germany), the German Federal Environmental Agency.
The six winners were selected from among 29 candidates from 14 European countries, by an independent panel of experts in environmental technology and eco-innovation. This year, the jury was chaired by Elisa Tonda, Head of the Business and Industry Unit for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). EMAS allows organisations participating in the system on a voluntary basis (under European regulation 1221/2009) to improve their performance, credibility and the transparency of their activities. The Commission has awarded the EMAS prizes every year since 2005. (AN)