The need of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for reliable means of managing environmental issues has become increasingly felt over recent years. SMEs have in fact been forced to fulfil the expectations of an increasing number of demanding stakeholders: public opinion, consumers, customers, local communities, public authorities, environmental NGOs, and so on. Environmental management systems have become a powerful and diffuse instrument, capable of supporting enterprises in managing, monitoring and effectively improving their environmental performance. Since their official launch, both the EU Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and the ISO 14001 standard have been taken up by a wide range of companies with widely varying profiles. We propose an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of these key management tools from SMEs’ point of view, by analysing the barriers and problems inhibiting participation in these schemes, as well as identifying related motivations and benefits.