The topic of environmental sustainability in construction is now more in the foreground than ever. There are many and different Energy and environmental certification schemes for buildings (LEED, BREEAM, GBC, ITACA, etc.) which are based on Italian or international protocols.
In this article we present the Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) applied to the world of construction (planning and execution of works) introduced into Italian legislation by dm 11 october 2007 and then replaced by the decree of the Ministry of Ecological Transition of 23 June 2022 “Minimum environmental criteria for the awarding of the service of designing building interventions, for the awarding of works for building interventions and for the joint awarding of design and works for building interventions”.
We will focus in particular on the CAM concerning construction products.
Let’s analyze below what CAMs are and what they are used for.
What are CAMs?
The dm 23 June 2022 It is one of the many decrees designed to implement the “National Action Plan on Green Public Procurement (PAN GPP)”. In practice this is a Plan to improve environmental impact of supplies purchased by the Public Administration (often referred to as “green purchases”) through the definition of Minimum Environmental Criteria to be respected. To date, decrees have been published for the following supply categories:
- interior furnishings;
- street furniture;
- incontinence aids;
- work shoes and leather accessories;
- paper;
- cartridges;
- building;
- cultural events;
- public lighting (supply and design);
- public lighting (service);
- industrial washing and rental of textiles and mattresses;
- cleaning and sanitization;
- municipal waste and street sweeping;
- mass catering;
- refreshment and vending machines;
- energy services for buildings;
- printers;
- textiles;
- vehicles;
- public greenery.
How can you see the areas of interest of the Green Public Procurement (GPP) related to the Public Administration there are many and probably some have not yet been regulated and will arrive in the future.
Not just public works
Here we deal with the dm 23 June 2022 relating to the GPP of construction. A first important observation: this decree concerns the building interventions regulated by the Legislative Decree No. 50 of 18 April 2016so it concerns the public works. This is true but it should be noted that the decree has become a a point of reference also for private works when it is necessary to place environmental requirements on construction products.
As an example, let us remember that the “Superbonus” type incentives on the facade claddings they provided for compliance with environmental requirements for the insulating materials used in the works.
Let’s try to get inside the decree to understand its philosophy. First of all, we note that the decree defines the CAMs concerning:
- the assignment of the building intervention design service (Chap. 2, Annex to the ministerial decree of 23 June 2022);
- the awarding of works for building interventions (Chap. 3, Annex to the ministerial decree of 23 June 2022);
- joint assignment of design and works for building interventions (Chap. 4, Annex to the ministerial decree of 23 June 2022).
The interesting part pertinent to the discussion on building materials is found initially in the Ch. 1 of theAttachment to the ministerial decree of 23 June 2022 where it is said that the designer is obliged to take the CAM into account in the design choices he carried out and for all levels of design.
Furthermore, the designer is required to draw up a “CAM Report” where they are indicated for each criterion “the design choices regarding the methods of application, integration of materials, components and technologies adopted, the list of graphic documents, schemes, calculation tables, lists etc. in which the ante operam state, the planned interventions, the consequent achievable results and the post operam state are highlighted and which highlights compliance with the criteria contained in this document. In the CAM report the designer also highlights the methods of contextualising the technical specifications to the type of works being awarded. Furthermore, the designer highlights the technical reasons that led to the possible partial application or failure to apply the technical specifications…” (§ 1.3.3).
In fact the “CAM Report” becomes a a real new design document with its importance and primary value in which evidence must be given of how the various CAMs have been taken into account. The application of CAMs to a construction site therefore starts from the design choices that the designer must make and justify. It is from the project that the management of CAMs at the construction site level starts.
To sum up: CAMs are mandatory at least for public works (even for private works if laws or contracts require it), concern both the design and the execution of the works. It is the designer who in the “CAM Report” highlights the design choices that lead to compliance with the individual CAMs.
