Practices based on environmental sustainability, activities and investments by the public and private sectors and shared policies to encourage respect for the environment: these are some of the parameters considered for the purposes of EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), an instrument promoted by the European Community to enhance and reward the commitment of inpidual companies and industrial companies on the environmental sensibility side. Recognized in the Tuscan tanning district since 2010, it is the subject of constant monitoring aimed at verifying the requirements for maintenance: in the past few days, the annual verification that confirmed the EMAS for the district took place.
The verification took place at the Associazione Conciatori, headquarters of the EMAS Promoting Committee of the District, which in addition to the Tanner's Association and the Tanner's Consortium of Ponte a Egola includes the public administrations of Santa Croce sull'Arno, San Miniato, Fucecchio and Castelfranco di Sotto: the Sant 'Anna School of Pisa provides scientific support for the activities of the EMAS District Committee. "The maintenance of the EMAS - says Piero Maccanti, chairman of the Committee - is an indicator of the concrete commitment of this district on the environmental sustainability profile, able to reward and stimulate also the cooperation between public and private in this field".
Controls for the maintenance of the district EMAS involved several areas, from energy saving to investments to make green areas more accessible, from new district infrastructures to awareness and communication activities on the use of policies based on environmental sustainability. The verification activity, which every year is addressed to a different municipality between the administrations adhering to the EMAS District Committee, this year concerned the Municipality of Castelfranco di Sotto, which illustrated the policies supported and the important results achieved in the energy efficiency and about the reuse of waste materials.