Green Policies, Regulations & Standards

Italy’s Minimum Environmental Criteria (Criteri Ambientali Minimi – CAM) are mandatory environmental requirements used in specified categories of Italian public procurement. Developed by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), they translate Italy’s Green Public Procurement policy into concrete requirements for public tenders. Depending on the procurement category, CAM can address issues such as energy and resource efficiency, emissions, recycled materials, waste, durability and circularity.

ISO 20400:2017 – Sustainable procurement — Guidance is an international standard for integrating sustainability into an organization’s procurement activities. It helps organizations consider environmental, social and economic impacts when developing procurement policies, selecting suppliers and purchasing goods and services. Published in April 2017, it can be used by organizations of any size or sector and is closely aligned with ISO 26000 on social responsibility.

ASUS’s supplier framework is not a climate law, but it operates as a private regulatory regime across its supply base. Through its Supplier Code of Conduct and sustainable procurement architecture, ASUS turns environmental management, greenhouse gas disclosure, and supplier-side control systems into contractual and procurement-relevant obligations for manufacturers and upstream partners.

The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Scheme, or WELS, is Australia’s mandatory water efficiency labelling scheme for regulated products. All regulated products must be registered and labelled with correct water rating information before supply or sale in Australia. The scheme covers products such as taps, showers, toilets, urinals, clothes washing machines, dishwashers and flow controllers. Testing, rating, labelling and display requirements are detailed in AS/NZS 6400:2016. WELS is not a voluntary ecolabel for regulated products. It does not replace plumbing codes, product safety rules, WaterMark certification, consumer law or local water restrictions.

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 creates the UK legal framework for deploying self-driving vehicles in Great Britain. It establishes automated vehicle authorisation, requires each authorised automated vehicle to have an authorized self-driving entity, and creates a licensing regime for no-user-in-charge operators. It also changes liability rules for users-in-charge when authorised automated features are engaged and introduces offences to prevent misleading marketing of driver assistance systems as self-driving. Full implementation is expected through secondary legislation and operational systems, with the UK government’s implementation programme targeting 2027. The Act is a regulatory obligation, not a sustainability label, and does not itself guarantee low-carbon transport outcomes.

WELL Health-Safety Rating is a voluntary global building operations rating administered by the International WELL Building Institute. It verifies that a project has satisfied health-safety rating requirements through documentation and third-party review. The rating covers operational policies such as cleaning, emergency preparedness, health services, air and water management, communications, and facility maintenance. Projects must renew enrollment annually to remain active and eligible for annual seals of achievement, and some features require ongoing annual reporting. The rating is voluntary unless required by tenants, investors, leases, contracts, or corporate real estate policies. It does not replace building codes, public health law, fire safety, workplace safety, ventilation or water quality rules.

Blue Angel is Germany’s federal ecolabel for environmentally preferable products and services. It is owned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, with scientific Basic Award Criteria developed by the German Environment Agency, decisions made by the Environmental Label Jury and certification handled by RAL gGmbH. Each product group has its own Basic Award Criteria and verification requirements. Blue Angel is Germany-focused rather than global, but it is highly relevant for companies selling into Germany or European procurement markets. It is voluntary unless required by buyers, tenders, procurement or contracts. It does not replace product safety, chemical, environmental, packaging, waste or green claims laws.

TCO Certified is a global sustainability certification for IT products. It covers environmental and social responsibility across the product lifecycle, including climate impact, safer substances, product lifetime, circularity, supply-chain working conditions, and manufacturing impacts. Certified products must meet all applicable criteria for their category and are independently verified. Criteria are updated every three years, with Generation 11 under development for launch in 2027. TCO Certified is voluntary unless required by buyers, tenders, procurement or internal IT policies. It does not replace product safety, chemical, e-waste, labor, or green claims laws.

Declare is a voluntary global product transparency label and database for building materials, managed by the International Living Future Institute. It discloses product ingredients in an easy-to-read label format and screens materials against chemicals of concern, including Red List-related criteria. Labels are publicly available in the Declare database and may be independently verified by approved third-party verifiers. Declare is useful for architects, building owners, manufacturers and procurement teams seeking material health and ingredient transparency. It is voluntary unless required by project specifications, buyers, or green building programs. It does not replace chemical law, product safety rules, building codes, EPDs, or green claims regulation.

The Health Product Declaration Open Standard is a voluntary global disclosure framework for building products. Developed and managed by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative, it provides a standardized format and instructions for accurate, reliable, and consistent reporting of product contents and associated health information. HPDs are used by manufacturers, architects, building owners, designers, and consultants to support material health transparency. Version 3.0 was released in 2025. The HPD Open Standard is not a certification label and does not prove that a product is safe or environmentally preferable. It does not replace chemical law, product safety rules, building codes, ecolabels, EPDs or green claims regulation.