Premise
In 2019, the European Commission adopted a long-term strategy known as the European Green Deal, aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The European Climate Law, passed in 2021, enshrined this goal in EU legislation, committing to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It also set an intermediate target of reducing net emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. To reach these ambitious goals, the European Green Deal has introduced a series of legislative proposals, many of which focus on energy.
In July and December of 2021, the Commission unveiled the “Fit for 55” package, which refers to the 55% emissions reduction target for 2030. This package includes revisions to several key pieces of energy legislation to bring them in line with the new climate objectives: the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Energy Taxation Directive, and the Gas and Hydrogen Package. Additionally, the Social Climate Fund (SCF) regulation was proposed as part of this initiative. By 2023, three of these key legislative pieces – RED, EED, and SCF – were adopted.
On 13 June 2024, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 was approved by the European Parliament and the Council, establishing a framework for setting ecodesign requirements for sustainable products. This regulation aligns with the Sustainable Products Initiative, outlined in the new Circular Economy Action Plan, which is also a cornerstone of the Green Deal.
One of the key innovations of this initiative is the introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which will track data across the product’s value chain. The DPP aims to promote sustainable production, facilitate the transition to a circular economy, create new business opportunities, help consumers make informed and sustainable choices, and allow authorities to ensure compliance with legal standards.
However, Italy’s economic and social landscape is defined by small municipalities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)…
In Italy, and across Europe more broadly, the high number of small municipalities and small businesses presents a significant challenge to the widespread adoption of digital and green innovations.
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Over 68% of municipalities have fewer than 50,000 inhabitants.
50,000 is the limit to have a real office with employees who take care of the building permit
A population of 50,000 is typically considered the threshold at which a municipality can sustain a dedicated office with employees responsible for handling building permits. However, even in these municipalities, building permit offices are often overwhelmed with routine tasks, leaving little time or resources to implement digital transformation initiatives. Moreover, these offices frequently lack the multidisciplinary expertise needed to drive the green and digital transformations required to meet Europe’s sustainability goals.
The situation is similar for businesses. In 2020, 95.2% of Italian companies had no more than 9 employees, accounting for 43.2% of total employment. These small businesses often lack the capacity and specialized knowledge needed to design and construct zero-impact buildings, or to upgrade existing buildings to improve seismic safety and reduce environmental impact.
In practice, multidisciplinary teams are often formed through informal, non-associated collaborations. Typically, an architectural firm will bring in structural engineers, mechanical engineers, acoustic experts, geologists, and surveyors as needed to comply with regulatory requirements. However, these professionals often work in a fragmented manner, primarily focusing on providing the necessary documents to secure approvals, with limited ongoing collaboration.
This approach results in significant consumption of resources and energy throughout the bureaucratic, administrative, and construction phases, all the way to final testing. However, this fragmented process is deeply ingrained in the freelance nature of many professionals, who may be reluctant to formally collaborate or aggregate. Therefore, it is crucial to identify ways to encourage collaboration, even if not through formal associations, by leveraging tools from the “openBIM” world. This involves using shared digital environments and open standards to facilitate better coordination.