The strengths of EMAS as an environmental management system for European university campuses

Abstract

Universities are unique organisations that have a full range of existing environmental issues. Implementing an environmental management system (EMS) has been proposed as a way for educational organisations to track and improve the management of these environmental issues. Although only a handful of universities have been verified in the European Union Eco-Management Environmental Audit Scheme (EMAS), a large number of institutions and companies all over Europe that have become registered. The complexity of universities has resulted in EMAS implementation barriers that other sector companies do not necessarily face. This study analyses the specific barriers, benefits, and challenges of the implementation process of the EMAS at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). As a result, some specific strategies for implementing EMAS are identified. EMAS appears to be a good MES for university campuses due to its adaptability to the complexity of university organisations and their governance structures.