CAM of the furniture sector

As of Dec. 6, 2022, Ministerial Decree No. 254 of June 23, 2022, published in the Official Gazette on Aug. 8, 2022, is in effect. The decree establishes the new Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) for contracting the supply, rental and life extension service of interior furniture, updating and replacing the previous CAM of January 2017.
Among the new features is an updated and unambiguous classification of the type of interior furniture: the new Furniture CAM applies to items (including custom-made) such as coat racks, closets, school furniture, furniture items and miscellaneous furniture (shelving, desks, chairs, tables, cabinets, display cabinets), but also movable interior walls (non-load-bearing interior partition systems). In addition, products with domestic use such as modular kitchens, bedroom furniture, etc. are also added. 
All furniture should be made from materials and production processes with reduced environmental impact according to circular economy development models. In this way, contracting stations are allowed to reduce the environmental impact of purchases and services related to furniture by considering them from a Life Cycle perspective: thus, both the assessment of real needs through the reconnaissance of supplied furniture (in use or decommissioned) and the extension of the average life of such products are encouraged, but also the purchase of reconditioned used products or rental. 
One of the main innovations is precisely the extension of furniture life through repair or donation of used products. Where this is not possible, non-destructive disassembly is provided for the purpose of recycling the recovered material. An important change in the sustainable sphere: less waste, less polluting emissions and more energy savings.

The new CAMs in detail
European analyses have shown, based on LCA studies, that 80-90% of the environmental impact of furniture is due to the materials and components used, the use of chemicals for coatings during the production process, and energy consumption due to the polymerization of plastic materials. The CAM, in reporting this study, points the way: promote eco-design of furniture using renewable or recycled materials and modularity and non-destructive disassembly by allowing the recovery of parts to be used as spare parts or the recycling of materials in authorized plants that valorize them according to current laws. 
Also of absolute importance-and in line with European policies-is the issue of packaging in relation to the content of recycled materials and in view of the short lifespan of the packaging itself: this accounts for 6 percent of the sector’s environmental impacts.
It is stipulated that if the total plastic content (including padding), in the finished product exceeds 20 percent of the total weight of the product (excluding, therefore, the packaging), plastic components must be made of at least 30 percent recycled plastic or bio-based plastic in accordance with the technical standard. Cardboard components must be made of at least 70 percent and plastic components must be made of at least 30 percent recycled material. It will then be a third-party conformity assessment body that will issue a product certification based on material traceability indicating the percentage of recycled plastic.

EPD: an environmental product identity card cited in CAM
Product-specific certifications for recycled, but not only that: the CAM also cites as a means of proof the Environmental Product Declaration EPD that contains such information. The EPD represents the “environmental identity card” of the product and is a document that contains objective, comparable and verified information on the environmental performance of the product itself, calculated throughout its life cycle through a Life Cycle Assessment study. This analysis can be conducted with the help of PCRs (Product Category Rules) defined by Program Operators such as EPDItaly, promoted by ICMQ, which is also its only Italian Program Operator accredited by Accredia. PCRs are documents that define common rules that all EPDs and LCAs must adhere to in order to ensure consistency and comparability. Manufacturers must follow these international rules when conducting the LCA study and then communicate it with EPDs. To meet the needs of Italian manufacturers who want to develop an EPD in accordance with the requirements of the DM, EPDItaly is available to publish industry EPDs and is developing specific PCRs for furniture. 
Among the many companies that have embarked on the path to obtain EPDs with EPDItaly is the historic Artemide Group, a world leader in design in the lighting sector. The Milan-based company, which has always been attentive to sustainable issues, has chosen to certify one of its flagship products (Alphabet of Light) to meet the growing national and international demands of green building protocols, but also to improve its production cycle and correctly inform the end consumer.
The contents of the EPD are primarily aimed at industrial and commercial users. It is necessary, therefore, for the Environmental Statement to be transparent so that it can be understood and interpreted correctly by all.