A fundamental part of EMAS is the independently verified public statement about the company’s
environmental performance. This statement can provide valuable information to interested parties.
EMAS verifiers in Finland are accredited by the Finnish Accreditation Services (FINAS)
.
developing co-operation.
With encouragement, SMEs can create their own environmental management systems, or use
selective features of them-for example, doing an environmental review or setting up permanent
procedures such as internal environmental programmes.
Training has played an important role in improving the competitiveness of SMEs and employee
skills. The training has focused either on promoting environmental skills of key persons who,
will continue to work with environmental tasks after the project, or on raising the level of
environmental awareness of all employees in the company.
In developing co-operation, the emphasis has been on contacts between SMEs, environmental
authorities and trade promoters. SMEs also need easy access to adequate environmental
information. For this purpose, some local information desks have been established, among
other efforts. In some projects, guidelines have been drawn up for a specific sector.
Co-operation between SMEs or between SMEs and municipalities has been strengthened.
Although SMEs involved in these projects represent different industrial sectors, the selection
of participants for a single project has varied. Some projects have focused on a specific sector
or, alternatively, the SMEs have been subcontractors to a larger company. In most of the
projects several sectors have been represented.
Contact persons:
Ms Sirpa Salo-Asikainen, Senior Advisor,
Environmental Protection in Trade and
Industry,
Ministry of the Environment,
sirpa.salo-asikainen@ymparisto.fi
Ms Pirke Suoheimo, Senior Advisor,
Finnish Environment Institute
pirke.suoheimo@ymparisto.fi
