The vision of the National strategy for Sustainable

Development is to ensure wellbeing within the limits of the natural environment’s carrying capacity, both nationally and globally.

The objective is to create sustainable well-being in a safe and pluralisticsociety that promotes participation, and in which all citizens take responsibility for theenvironment.

With respect to these aims, the starting point is that the key guidelines of the Strategy form the foundation for drafting Government and policy programmes. The timeline for achieving the targets extends beyond current generations, toaround 2030.

The sustainable resolution of thesenational and global challenges requires simultaneous and mutually supportive short and long-term policy measures at Finnish, EU and global level.

Sustainable Development

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Finnish Ministry of the Environment

ISO 14001 applies to those environmental aspects

which the organization has control and over which it

can be expected to have an influence. This standard is

applicable to any organization that wishes to:

* implement, maintain and improve an environmental

management system

* assure itself of its conformance with its own

stated environmental policy (those policy commitments of

course must be made)

* demonstrate conformance

* ensure compliance with environmental laws and

regulations

* seek certification of its environmental management system by an external third

party organization

* make a self-determination of conformance

The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a management tool for companies and other organisations to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance. The scheme has been available for participation by companies since 1995 and was originally restricted to companies in industrial sectors."

"The aim of EMAS is to recognise and reward those organisations that continuously improve their environmental performance and go beyond their minimum legal compliance.

SOURCE: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/index_en.htm - What is EMAS?