The Energa Group holding the prestigious EMAS certificate welcomed to the European Commission’s register

The European Commission has officially confirmed the Energa Group’s presence in the prestigious EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Participation in EMAS is the highest environmental distinction for businesses and non-profit organizations. Energa is the first power group in Poland to become a full-fledged participant in this prestigious environmental certification. The certificate presentation ceremony confirming the Energa Group’s registration was held in June 2016. It was attended by Deputy Minister of the Environment Mariusz Gajda and Director-General for Environmental Protection Krzysztof Lissowski. Energa itself was represented by CEO Dariusz Kaśków.

EMAS registration is a very prestigious distinction which has been awarded to only 70 organizations in Poland. The Energa Group’s registration is not only the largest such registration in the history of EMAS in Poland but also one of the largest registrations in Europe.

“EMAS is the only instrument confirming the continuous improvement in an organization’s environmental effectiveness. Care and respect for the needs of the natural environment as well as acting with full responsibility for the environmental consequences of any decisions made are among the foundations of the Energa Group’s business. Rational use of natural resources based on an approach according to which such resources should be available not only to the present generation but also to future generations of Poles is a challenge which we strive to meet every day,” emphasizes Dariusz Kaśków, CEO of the Energa Group.

For the Energa Group, becoming one of EMAS registered organizations confirms the Group’s compliance with the highest environmental requirements.“The effort involved in the implementation of a company’s environmental management system should be treated as an investment in the company’s development and relationships with its business partners. EMAS is currently the most reliable environmental management standard,” asserts Mariusz Gajda, Deputy Minister of the Environment.

The Energa Group is a leader of the Polish power sector consistently strengthening its leading position in the fields of sustainable development and effective resource and energy management. As the first organization of a holding nature in Poland, it has implemented EMAS on such a large scale, applying a cascade management approach: from the headquarters (Energa SA), through segments (generation, distribution and sales), down to the individual commercial operator level (companies and branches). The exceptional scale of the challenge stems from the fact that the Energa Group’s EMAS covers 159 facilities located in Poland’s 8 voivodships.

The Energa Group attaches great significance to the transparency of its environmental activities. The best example of that is the published EMAS environmental declaration comprising detailed environmental information about the Group, which was evaluated by an independent accredited EMAS environmental verifier. Moreover, every year for the past 5 years the Group has been publishing a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Report which presents integrated economic, social and environmental information associated with the company’s operations.

The Energa Group’s involvement in the area of corporate social responsibility has been appreciated by numerous media and industry organizations; among others, in May 2016 the Energa Group was again awarded the Złoty Listek distinction of the Polityka Weekly. Moreover, the Energa Group is one of only few Polish organizations presenting their reports to the Carbon Disclosure Project, a British non-profit organization comparing activities of business operators aimed at sustainable development and comparing their performance in terms of greenhouse gas emissions vis-à-vis other companies from the global power sector.