A total of 26 German universities have so far introduced the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) but more are to follow. The purpose of this study is to identify the major drivers for universities to implement the voluntary EMAS and to reveal a pattern of EMAS certification among German Higher Education Institutions in order to develop a framework to ease the employment of EMAS at other universities.
The paper examines environmental statements and reports of universities implementing the auditing scheme with the aim to determine the rationale behind the implementation. Content analysis techniques are applied to highlight common features but also specific characteristics. However, to be able to put the developments into a broader context the study also includes secondary resources, mainly from articles in international journals. Finally, for gaining a better understanding of the issue from a legal perspective, legal sources were also included. Scholarly attention to the emerging deployment of EMAS at tertiary education institutions in Germany has been limited. An up-to-date overview of EMAS deployment at German universities is provided and barriers to implementation highlighted.
The study reveals that so far mostly state-owned universities have opted for EMAS, and most of them are of small size and have previous environmental expertise and experience. Private universities have not tapped the potential of EMAS. The high concentration of EMAS certified higher education institutions in the state of Baden-Württemberg suggests that the state government’s efforts to support the implementation of EMAS bear fruits. The study provides policy recommendations on how to increase incentives for achieving EMAS certification among tertiary education institutions.
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