A short view on TANDEM

“EMAS in Local Bodies and Local Agenda 21”

TANDEM Project
Pilot action for promoting EMAS
among Local Bodies operating on a
large territory (Provinces and main
Municipalities) in TANDEM with
Local Agenda 21

Pamphlet
 A short view on TANDEM “EMAS and Agenda 21 in local authorities”

Every document produced whitin the project is the resoults of the work
carried out by the bodies involved in, with the contribution of the
following people: a special thanks for their precious collaboration.

Bologna Province Modena Province

Manager: Paolo Natali Manager: Giovanni Rompianesi
Collaborators: Gabriele Bollini, Collaborators: Mira Guglielmi, Renzo
Daniele Tartari, Federica Torri, Medici, Daniele Bindo, Elisa Rossi,
Dorella Arbizzani, Luigi Rudi Munari, Donata Azzoni, Riccardo Rebecchi
Anna Valli

Ancona Province Parma Province

Manager: Piergiorgio Carrescia Manager: Gabriele Alifraco
Collaborators: Antonella Fuselli, Collaborators: Massimiliano Miselli,
Leonardo Sorichetti, Roberto Renzi, Jessica Lazzarini, Beatrice Anelli
Marco Savolini

Bari Province Venezia Province

Manager: Francesco Luisi Manager: Massimo Gattolin
Collaborators: Natale Figoli, Giovanni Collaborators: Giorgia Lando,
Iacobellis, Sanziana Ionescu Pavanato Alessandro, Carla Furiato

Ferrara Province Ferrara Municipality

Manager: Moreno Po Manager: Leonardo Malatesta
Collaborators: Gabriella Dugoni, Collaborators: Paola Poggipollini,
Linda Davi, Laura Crociani, Daniela Laura Bonati, Michele Ferrari,
Tani Federica Gavini, Giovanna Rio,
Fabrizio Ardizzoni, Claudio Bignozzi

Genova Province Modena Municipality

Manager: Dario Miroglio Manager: Sandro Picchiolutto
Collaborators: Simona Ferrando, Collaborators: Corrado Cuoghi, Elisa
Claudia Riccio, Maria Teresa Zannetti, Colombini
Cinzia Palmas

Operational Coordination

ERVET S.p.A. Marco Ottolenghi, Alessandro Bosso, Guido Croce

Sogesca S.r.l. Giovanni e Camillo Franco, Marco Giorio, Claudia Gottardo, Marco
Picarella, Valentina Raviolo, Claudia Fiori
D.C.C.I. Pietro Canepa, Luigi Musi
LIFE Project 00 ENV/IT/000192 TANDEM

Introduction considering that more than 45% of the

When in 2001 we elaborated TANDEM population of the world lives in urban
project, with the collaboration of Sogesca contests and this percentage will increase
and ERVET and in agreement with partner till 63% in 2030.
bodies and we presented it for LIFE We read that “Local Authorities construct
Environment financing, we could not and maintain economic, social and
forecast how the relapses and the environmental infrastructure, establish
operational and cultural consequences in local environmental policies and
the life of Bologna Province and other regulations, and assist in implementing
partners would have been important. environmental policies. They play a vital
In fact, the project produced role in educating, mobilizing and
immediately the wish to adopt the EMAS responding to the public to promote
methodologies as they were developed. sustainable development”.
As a consequence, TANDEM started soon So Agenda 21 is a process shared by all
to produce positive effects and we are the stakeholders to define a local plan of
sure many others will be produced in the action for the 21st century.
partners’ organizations and in all the
organizations that have taken part at the Organization operating for the
workshops. promotion and the implementation of
The manager of the project, Eng. Paolo Local Agenda 21:
Natali, Director of the Environment U.N. Economic and Social Development
Sector in the Bologna Province, wants to - http://www.un.org/dpcsd
thank all the collaborators: Daniele
Tartari, Federica Torri, Sogesca’s and ICLEI (International Council for Local
ERVET’s managers and engineers, hoping Environmental Initiatives) -
the collaboration will prosecute. This http://www.iclei.org
pamphlet is written to give a first sight on Environment DG E.U. -
the results of TANDEM project and to help http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment
you in consider the application in your /index_it.htm
organization.
European Sustainable Cities Campaign -
http://www.sustainable-cities.org
AGENDA 21 IN ITALY
Coordination Italian Local Agendas 21 -
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of http://www.a21italy.net/
action adopted by more than 178
Governments at the U.N. Conference on Italian Ministry of the Environment -
Environment and Development held in Rio http://www.minambiente.it/SVS/agenda
de Janeiro, in June 1992. 21/agenda.htm
The document is structured in 40
chapters and four sections: Social and
Economic Dimensions, Conservation and
Management of Resources for
Development, Strengthening The Role Of
Major Groups, Means of Implementation.
Particularly, chapter 28 “Local
Authorities” recognizes the fundamental
role of these subjects in implementing
sustainable development practices,
 A short view on TANDEM “EMAS and Agenda 21 in local authorities”

EMAS REGULATION 761/01 Organization operating for promoting

and the implementing of EMAS:
Regulation (EC) No 761/2001 (EMAS II)
rules the voluntary participation to a European Commission, Environment,
continual improvement process of EMAS Section-
environmental performances providing for http://europa.eu.int/comm/environm
legal compliance. ent/emas/index_en.htm
Every organisation can apply to EMAS. Italian Committee fro Ecolabel and
EMAS represents, for the Public Bodies, a Ecoaudit -
significant tool for the territory http://www.minambiente.it/Sito/ecol
management. The first step is an abel_ecoaudit/ecolabel_ecoaudit.htm
Environmental review to identify and
evaluate the significant environmental National Agency for the Environment
key issue linked to the activities. This is Protection and for technical services -
done in order to delineate an http://www.apat.it/
Environmental Management System and
the main objectives. STRATEGIC ASPECTS OF EMAS IN
Based on the environmental review, the
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS
Organisation establishes the
Environmental policy that should include The Regulation “EMAS – Eco Management
the legal compliance and the and Audit Scheme” is a solution for the
commitment to continual improvement of innovation of the territory management
environmental performance. Furthermore and its recognition through the
Environmental policy provides the registration in the European Union
framework for setting specific objectives Register.
and an environmental programme. EMAS is also a management system for
The Environmental Management System the “Public Bodies” to co-ordinate other
(EMS.) is developed on the basis of the planning and sustainability tools as Local
Regulation’s requirements. Its first goal is Agenda 21 process.
to make the continual improvement EMAS is important for its relationship with
process active. This process allows the other (institutional or not) existing tools,
Organisation to plan and carry out the and for its suitability for decisional and
activities and to verify the results, in administrative processes support of the
order to decide if it is necessary to territory management.
modify the planning decisions. The To obtain the environmental registration,
system efficacy is represented by correct the Public Body should promote activities
identification of the environmental enhancing the key points through the
aspects through the review and the interested parties. To this aim it’s
maintenance of legal compliance. important to underline how EMAS
The last step is the Environmental guarantees transparency to the success or
statement. It provides interested parties failure of the Body’s policies.
with information about the organisation’s Other positive aspects are the adoption of
environmental performances and the EMS new communication patterns with the
structure. The Environmental statement citizens and the economic world, the
is a basic document for the audit. A third guarantee of legal compliance, the
independent party should validate it if enhancement of the direct aspects
the organisation has correctly applied the management (e.g. reduction of energy or
EMAS requirements. water consumption).
LIFE Project 00 ENV/IT/000192 TANDEM

“TANDEM” PROJECT AND “LIFE” TANDEM has reached the target of how
PROGRAMME EMAS Regulation can be adopted by a
Local Body operating on a large territory
The relationship between EMAS and Local on the basis of its own administrative
Agenda 21 process is the subject of the relations with the territory
“TANDEM” project: “Pilot action for (administrative TANDEM) and in synergy
promoting EMAS among Local Bodies with other territorial management tools
operating on a large territory (Provinces (TANDEM with Local Agenda 21).
and main Municipalities) in TANDEM with More than other 35 Italian local
Local Agenda 21” – co-financed by the authorities joined 10 workshops as
European Commission, particularly by the members of the so called TANDEM Open
LIFE programme of DG “Environment”. Group, giving a contribution in defining
The partnership is characterised by the guidelines and receiving in the meantime
presence of 8 Provinces and 2 an updating for the application of EMAS in
Municipalities from 5 Italian Regions and their organization.
one research centre:
- Provinces of Bologna, (beneficiary of the
project), Ancona, Bari, Genoa, Modena, RESULTS PROJECT SYNTHESIS
Parma, Venice)
- Municipalities of Ferrara and Modena.
The project started in November 2001
- Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry
and ended in February 2004. The result is
department of the Genoa University.
the elaboration of guidelines for the
And as a technical support:
application of an E.M.S. in a local
Sogesca Srl from Padua
authority, exploiting the activities and
ERVET SpA Emilia-Romagna Development
the existing or foreseen processes for
Agency.
Agenda 21. The final outputs of the
project are the followings:
LIFE programme is the main financial tool
for the environment policy and • Thematic Workshops – Open
environmental legislation of the European Group
Union and particularly of the Sixth Action
Programme for the Environment. Thematic workshops about the
LIFE has a budget of 640 millions of Euros applicative problems of an E.M.S. in a
for the 2000-2004 period. Local Body were organized. The
Everybody can propose a project with the workshops involved more than 40 Local
next criteria: Bodies (Open Group) coordinated by
1. be of Community interest by making Bologna province and technical
a significant contribution to the consultants.
environment policy and
The workshops analysed EMAS and Local
environmental legislation;
Agenda 21 technical and operative
2. be carried out by technically and
aspects, in order to allow the Local
financially sound participants;
Bodies (Regions, Provinces,
3. be feasible in terms of technical
Municipalities, harbour authorities) to
proposals, timetable, budget and
delineate some operative solutions of the
value for money.
most important aspects.
www.europa.eu.int/comm/
environment/life/home.htm
 A short view on TANDEM “EMAS and Agenda 21 in local authorities”

• Identification of the entity to be To closely examine the project:

registered
A guideline to answer to these questions: Website:www.provincia.bologna.it/ambie
- Which are the rules to decide the nte/tandem
width of the E.M.S.?
- Why a local authority should TANDEM project material can be required
implement it? by e-mail:
- Could a local authority adopt EMAS [email protected]
only for a part of the organization? or by ordinary mail:
- How can a local authority match EMS Provincia di Bologna
with Agenda 21? Settore ambiente/Progetto TANDEM
Strada Maggiore, 80
• The Initial Environmental Analysis 40125 Bologna
A guideline to answer to these questions:
- Which are territorial relapses of the All the choices about the E.M.S. planning
decisional processes of a public Body? have considered the relationship between
- Which are the environmental impacts EMAS and Local Agenda 21.
connected to the management of the Next schemes underline that Local
structures? Agenda 21 doesn’t establish requirements
- Which are the informative sources for as EMAS moreover it doesn’t request
the environmental analysis? procedures and definition of
- How can a local authority exploit the responsibilities and roles.
work made for the Agenda 21 Report?
- What is legislative conformity for a
local authority?
- How can we value the environmental
impacts?

• Implementing the Environmental

Management System
A guideline to answer to these questions:
- Which stakeholders are to be involved
in the implementation of the EMS?
How can we be sure that the
participation will influence the
internal planning?
- How responsibilities should be
distributed?
- How Agenda 21 should be integrated
with EMAS? How can Agenda 21
indicators be used?
- Which is the optimal number of
procedures? And which are the
subjects of these?
- How should the Agenda 21 forums be
used to satisfied transparency and
communication requirements of EMAS?
LIFE Project 00 ENV/IT/000192 TANDEM

Synergies between EMAS and Local a pressure factors groups (traffic,

Agenda 21 about communication and tourism, etc.), or organised by territorial
transparency areas (urban areas, suburbs areas, etc.)
or by user criteria (kids, enterprises,
Activity of the Local Agenda 21 Forum is tourism, etc.).
strategic. The Forum of a Local Agenda Other stakeholders involved in the Forum
21 should be made by working groups are: environmental associations, religious
meetings and allows a continual exchange institutions or groups, industrial
of information and news among associations, public services shared
politicians, experts, citizens, organisations, schools, Universities, banks
entrepreneurs. and financial institutions, customers
Agenda 21 Forum can be constituted by associations, NGOs.
thematic groups (air, waste, etc.), or by

The aim of EMAS is to promote the

The aim of a Local Agenda 21 is a continual improvement of
vision of development shared by environmental performances
the stakeholders through awareness and
involvement of interested parties.

The sharing of information The awareness and involvement

appears from the beginning and processes are managed by the
provides a bilateral flow (from organisation under its
the Body to the Forum responsibility; it can share
participants and back). information when the EMS works.

Local Agenda 21 demonstrates EMAS demonstrates how leadership

how pro-activity is important in and operational control are
concerted processes. important in concerted processes

Local Bodies participating to EMAS can use the Forum of Local Agenda 21, for the developing
communication processes and opening dialogue with their stakeholders.
Within the Forum is an important context for transferring information, for sharing points of
view, for benchmarking activities, for verifying results.
 A short view on TANDEM “EMAS and Agenda 21 in local authorities”

Synergies between EMAS and Local It should be useful to convert systematic

Agenda 21 about operative control modalities into procedures, to transfer
the consumption data.
On the basis of the TANDEM guidelines,
here are indicated some topics about Monitoring of indirect aspects requests
“monitoring and measurement”, the identification of new indicators and
indicators and indexes. From the analysis the availability of some previously not
of Regulation requirements is possible to available data.
conclude that is necessary to establish a
process for each management system: Monitoring of the state of the
environment should help the Public
Monitoring of direct aspects is a Administration to define the important
demanding aspect. The information about aspects for the significance assessment of
consumptions are always available. The the indirect aspects, for the improvement
activities of information transfer from the objectives progress.
administrative area to the technical area,
where is possible to elaborate the When the difficulties (also the economic
indicators and its significance and ones) about the indicators choice are
improvement assessment are expensive. known, we can easily refer to the
experience resulting from the redaction
of Environmental Reports:

Agenda 21 SGA EMAS

State, pressure and response indicators
Availability of data and information of the State
of the Environment Report
Sharing of the indicators choice with the
interested parties through the Forum
Information and data exchange with the Forum
participants

Procedures and responsibilities for obtaining,

exchanging, elaborating and assessing data and
information.
Higher coherence between indicators and
monitored aspects
Resources management; indicators should be
updated; eliminate un-efficient indicators.