# Organizations towards the Evaluation of Environmental Management Tools ISO 14001 and EMAS
## 5 Summary and Conclusions  
Both analyzed systems are based on the Deming cycle, which functions according to the idea of continuous improvement of activities related to environmental aspects of the organization (in the case of the systems discussed above). Despite the many environmental actions which are taken, the pollution of air, water and soil is still a serious problem. EMSs are useful tools for organizations and other institutions to manage environmental aspects that are also relevant to sustainable development. Figure 8: Analysis of the external benefits resulting from the implementation of EMAS depending on the duration of the system operation in organizations. Figure 9: Analysis of the external benefits resulting from the implementation ISO 14001 depending on the duration of the system operation in organizations. The novelty and added value of this research, which supplements the research carried out by other authors, consisted of checking whether the organization's experience in implementing EMAS, after the earlier implementation of ISO 14001, is a significant facilitation, and whether the duration of the system operation in the organization affects the benefits perceived by the organization. The next important novelty was the investigation of whether system functioning duration in the company influences internal and external benefits from EMS implementation. These questions are important due to the decreasing number of implementations of EMAS in Poland in recent years, and the increasing number of withdrawals of organizations from EMAS. It is important to assess whether benefits of implementing EMAS are commensurate with the difficulties related to the implementation of the system. The results of the survey and their analysis indicate that these two standards are not always adopted for the same reasons. Although the results of the survey indicated that the most important objective for the implementation of ISO 14001 and EMAS by organizations was to reduce their negative environmental impact, the most important rationale for choosing EMAS was to improve the company's image and competition on the market and to make the company more innovative. This answer was indicated by only 8% of organizations as the most important reason for implementing the ISO 14001 standard. This indicates a high internal motivation of organizations implementing EMAS, while ISO 14001 is often created as a response to external pressure due to the deteriorating state of the environment. The survey results indicate that the implementation of both EMAS and ISO 14001 is seriously hampered by difficulties in terms of knowledge-related and organizational problems with the preparation of documentation, as well as the time required for implementation. Despite some of the introduced simplifications, the preparation of documentation is still a major barrier. One in three organizations with ISO 14001 indicated difficulties in implementing the standard due to limited knowledge of the benefits of implementation among the employees and the resistance of staff to change. This state of affairs is probably a result of insufficient environmental knowledge and convictions amid a part of the society regarding the need to act for environmental protection and sustainable development. Organizations that have implemented the systems indicated internal and external benefits resulting from their adoption. The most important internal benefits from the implementation of both ISO 14001 or EMAS were indicated to be compliance of the organization with the regulations, improvement of environmental protection standards, and improvement of the company's functioning. Organizations that have implemented EMAS have also indicated improvements in the functioning of the company as a result of the scheme. When analyzing the external benefits, it should be emphasized that in the case of EMAS, the most important benefit indicated by organizations was to build a better image of a \"green\" company.