Pugnochiuso and sustainability
Pugnochiuso is environmentally friendly. The resort was awarded the IQNet Certificate and RINA ISO 14001 – 2004 certificate in 2005. The Pugnochiuso resort obtained registration in accordance with the provisions of the C.E. 1221/2009 EMAS III.
See all our policies for environmental protection.
SURROUNDED BY NATURE
The whole area has been under the protection of the Gargano National Park since 1991 which, with its 120,000 hectares and 12 different ecosystems is the largest in Italy and the one with the highest level of biodiversity in Europe. In the Gargano there are not only almost 150 uninterrupted kilometres of bays, beaches and coves, but also the dense Umbra Forest. The Umbra Forest Nature Reserve is a protected natural area located within the Gargano National Park. It extends in the central-eastern area of the Gargano, at roughly 800 metres above sea level. The name “Umbra” derives from the Latin: dark, shady, as it was then, and as it appears in part today.
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION
The environmental certification is issued to those organizations that voluntarily choose to adhere to the International standard ISO 14001: 2015 or to the Regulation 1221/2009, as amended with the Regulations UE 1505/2017 and Regulation 2026/2018, recognized at European level known as EMAS III.
The application of the standards within the Pugnochiuso tourist area bases its effectiveness on a planning mechanism > implementation > control > verification that concern all those environmental aspects which the Pugnochiuso tourist area can exercise a control and on which it can have an impact.
The Pugnochiuso tourist area has developed an Environmental Analysis, which consists of an assessment of the environmental aspects to define their significance and the performance connected with the activities carried out, making compliance with the applicable legislation a pre-requisite; it has defined its own Environmental Policy together with the objectives and general principles of action it intends to set with respect to the environment;
It has defined an Environmental Program, which contains specific and defined objectives and the measures adopted to achieve them; it has adopted an Environmental Management System (EMS) compliant with the UNI EN ISO 14001: 2015 standard consisting of procedures, instructions and documents deemed necessary for correct environmental management; lastly, the Pugnochiuso tourist area periodically checks its environmental performance and the effectiveness of the environmental management system.
Once these phases have been completed, the Pugnochiuso tourist area obtains the certification of its EMS and the EMAS Registration issued by RINA, an ACCREDIA accredited body.
WHAT IS EMAS REGISTRATION
The EC Regulation n. 1221/2009, as amended with EU Regulation 1505/2017 and with Regulation 2026/2018, regulates the methods of voluntary participation by organizations in the EU Eco-Management and audit Scheme (EMAS).
For the part relating to environmental management, EMAS integrally incorporates the ISO 14001 standard. Compared to the ISO 14001 standard, the EMAS regulation provides in particular:
1. An Environmental Declaration, a public document that clarifies the significant aspects of the Environmental Policy, and the results achieved with respect to the objectives set, reporting the achievement program with a view to continuous improvement of performance (also available for consultation at the reception).
2. A Validation carried out by an accredited independent environmental verifier.
Both actions are modelled by the improvement processes: given a known starting point, the objectives to be achieved are set, then the related adaptation actions are implemented, followed by the verification of the results achieved which trigger a voluntary process of continuous improvement with objective confirmation.
ISO AND EMAS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
The two procedures have very similar standards but, if the ISOs have an internationally recognized value, EMAS is a protocol established at EU level, careful about interactions between the subject of the certification and its territory. In this case therefore, the context analyzes must be more in-depth and finalized, the objectives of the environmental policy with the related actions must be attentive to contextual issues. Furthermore, the management of the EMAS register at European level guarantees a better management of the certification system and a more defined identification of the certified aspects.