Eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) as an important element of the sustainable development policy on the example of public sector organizations

Abstract The necessity to protect natural resources in accordance with the idea of sustainable development is an indisputable issue. Not only the industrial sector organizations, but those of the public sector as well must join this process. The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme can play an important role in this respect. 3.7 thousand organizations have already registered in the EU EMAS register, including, unfortunately, only 71 from Poland, of which almost 40% from the public sector. The author tries to set out the benefits, resulting for the public sector organizations from the implementation of the scheme, but also the barriers and weaknesses of the system, which makes it not very popular in Poland. The results of the author’s own research carried out in 2016 among representatives of EMAS system, inter alia, of public sector organizations in Poland were used for this purpose.