The Minimal Environmental Criteria (I Criteri ambientali minimi – CAM): Sustainability Criteria for Public Sector Purchasing in Italy

Background

The CAM system originates from Italy’s National Action Plan for Green Public Procurement (PAN GPP), first adopted in 2008. The plan established a framework for integrating environmental considerations into public-sector purchasing and for developing minimum environmental requirements for particular categories of products, services and works. A substantially updated PAN GPP was adopted in 2023, replacing the earlier 2008 plan and its 2013 revision.

CAM are intended to use the purchasing power of government to encourage products, services and works with lower environmental impacts. The 2023 PAN GPP identifies objectives including climate-change mitigation, transition towards a circular economy, more efficient use of materials, waste reduction and prevention of air, water and soil pollution.

Rather than having one universal set of criteria for all public purchases, MASE develops separate CAM documents for particular procurement categories. These are adopted by ministerial decree and periodically revised as technologies, markets and environmental legislation evolve.

CAM Requirements

The precise CAM requirements depend on what the public authority is purchasing, with each CAM tailored to the most significant environmental impacts of its procurement category. Building-related CAM, for example, can address construction materials, resource efficiency, construction-site impacts and circularity, while separate criteria apply to areas such as catering, cleaning, IT equipment, vehicles and waste-management services.

Depending on the category, requirements may address energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, recycled or recovered materials, hazardous substances, water use, waste prevention, durability, repairability and recyclability. These requirements support the wider objectives of Italy's PAN GPP, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption and encouraging more circular approaches to public purchasing.

CAM can also specify how compliance is to be demonstrated. Depending on the requirement, bidders may need to provide technical documentation, test reports, environmental labels or certifications, carbon-footprint information, or other prescribed evidence showing that the product, service or work meets the relevant criteria.

Compliance and Enforcement

CAM are not merely voluntary green procurement recommendations. Where an applicable CAM exists, the Public Contracts Code requires contracting authorities to incorporate at least its technical specifications and contractual clauses into the relevant procurement documents.

Failure to meet requirements incorporated into a tender can affect whether a bid is compliant or whether contractual obligations have been fulfilled. The practical significance can also extend to award criteria. In a March 2025 procurement decision concerning cleaning services, for example, Italy’s National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) found an award inconsistent with the tender rules and applicable CAM because the winning product did not satisfy the specified detergent-dosing requirement.

Current Status

CAM remain a central component of Italy’s mandatory Green Public Procurement framework under the current Public Contracts Code and the 2023 PAN GPP. MASE continues to introduce new criteria and revise existing ones to reflect technological development, market conditions, environmental policy and circular-economy objectives. Recent developments include updated CAM for urban waste management services and new CAM for the purchase or rental of computers, tablets, monitors and smartphones, published in 2026.