The asbestos removal market - Italy

1.2 The global market

The size of the global asbestos removal market is expected to grow from $*.** billion in **** to up to $*.** billionin ****, with a compound annual growth rate(***) of *.* percent.

The growth of the asbestos removal market is due to increased demand for removal, improved technologies, and emerging markets. Internet of Things technology gives workers greater insight into the working conditions of their equipment. Sensors on machinery promote predictive maintenance, which in turn reduces the likelihood of unplanned and unscheduled downtime that often drains resources.

Size of the global asbestos removal market Italy, ****-****, in millions of USD Source: ****

1.3 The Italian market

This year in Italy marks ** years of the banning of asbestos, thanks to one of the world's earliest legal regulations in the field of public health prevention.Law ***/****, in fact, anticipated by ** years the ban on the production and consumption of manufactured goods containing asbestos issued by the European Union, making our country at the forefront in the field of disposal of this health-damaging material.

Obviously, there is still much to be done to remove all asbestos still present in residential, public and business buildings, considering that the latest census of Inail's Asbestos Data Bank, updated as of Dec. **, ****, shows ***,*** sites affected, with *,*** sites reclaimed and *,*** sites partially reclaimed.

The same census of sites to be reclaimed, in * regions, has not yet been completed: the mandatory data (***), are still being communicated by administrations with much delay and always at a slow pace.

Some regions, such as Sicily and Apulia, have adopted "virtuous" behavior in complying with legal directives, promoting campaigns to inform and raise awareness among citizens about the dangers of exposure to asbestos fibers, emphasizing issues affecting health and the environment.In these regions, the initiative has achieved an important practical response, as there has been an increase in requests ...

1.4 Impact covid

In its tragic nature, the pandemic, which has struck the planet causing thousands of deaths and triggering a serious economic crisis, could also have some positive implications. For example, it could offer an opportunity to improve the governance of asbestos disposal processes, a material that is still widespread in Italy.

In particular, the pandemic has given a boost to a series of environmental reforms from which, in some cases, the asbestos removal sector can benefit. this is the case with the Superbonus ***% ****, which was created mainly in order to push economic recovery and counter the great crisis due to the pandemic emergency. The Superbonus can be used to remove asbestos from the roof if the intervention is combined with an energy upgrading intervention such as installing photovoltaic panels on the roof

Although some projects have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, this has also created an opportunity for asbestos abatement professionals. Whether it's removing asbestos in places like closed schools and universities or decontaminating public places, remediation professionals have worked hard to keep their workforce and our communities safe.

2.1 Demand analysis

The wide use of asbestos in the manufacture of many types of products, especially building and pipe coverings, makes it present in many public and private places. This material can be found inside some means of transportation, for example in the insulation of ships and trains, or in some components such as brakes, gaskets, and flame shields. Asbestos has been used extensively in the industrial field, for example as thermal insulation and sound-absorbing material. One of the most common applications is in construction, where asbestos is found in roofing, in cladding to increase fire resistance, in some ceiling tiles, and in linoleum floor underlayments.

The example of GRA environment, one of the leading asbestos removal companies with *.* million in sales, gives a good overview of asbestos removal customers. Most of the clients are companies, a quarter are public agencies, and ** percent are private individuals.

Breakdown of Grandi Ambiente's customers Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

2.2 Demand Analysis: The State

the "Asbestos Remediation Plan," provided for in the second Addendum to the "Environment" Operational Plan approved by the CIPE in **** and now adopted by a measure by the competent Directorate General of the Ministry of the Environment, provides *** million euros for asbestos remediation in public buildings, particularly for removal and disposal in schools and hospitals.in the plan, the beneficiaries of the resources (***) are identified, as well as the transfer modalities. The beneficiary entities, in turn, identify the interventions to be financed and take care of the management, control and monitoring of their implementation.

The Ministry undertakes to ensure that the Regions and Autonomous Provinces receive all relevant information for the implementation of interventions, in particular instructions on how to properly manage, verify and report on expenditures, through also sharing the provisions of the Management and Control System of the "Environment" Operational Plan.

All interventions must be implemented by December **, ****. The *** million euros were allocated according to the regional allocation coefficients used for Development and Cohesion Fund resources. The Sicily region was allocated the largest funding: *** million euros. In second place was Puglia, with ** million euros, and Calabria, with ** million euros. For the rest, the funds are divided as follows:

**.*** ...

2.2 Demand analysis: related economic sectors

This paragraphed looks at some of the sectors where there is the greatest presence of asbestos and, therefore, the demand for asbestos removal is most significant.

Construction Sector

The most extensive use of asbestos occurred in construction, especially in the period ****-**** as asbestos cement (***). Based on the Environmental League report, there are **,*** public buildings and ***,*** private buildings containing asbestos. Asbestos can be found:

In thermal power plants or garages of buildings (***) In the roofs of industrial or civil buildings in the form of corrugated or flat sheets of asbestos cement (***) In asbestos-cement partition walls or ceiling panels in prefabricated buildings (***) In asbestos-cement chimneys In asbestos-cement water tanks and pipes In vinyl-asbestos floors

source:(***)

Regarding asbestos exposure cases in the construction industry, the ReNaM report, VII, made available in ****, recorded an incidence of **.* percent of total cases, with *,*** cases since ****.

Engineering Industry

Another sector with a strong presence of asbestos is the metalworking industry, the industrial sector involved in metalworking and the production of metal objects. asbestos has been widely used in the industry, for example as thermal insulation and sound-absorbing material. Regarding cases of occupational asbestos exposure in the metalworking industry sector, the ReNaM report, VII, made available in ****, recorded ...

2.4 Demand analysis: asbestos-related diseases by sector and region

In the protocol year **** of Inail 's semi-annual tables , asbestos-related diseases are concentrated more than **% in the "Industry" sector.the"Engineering (***)."

Asbestos-related diseases by sectors Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

Inail 's semi-annual tables give us a picture by region of asbestos-related diseases. by territory of residence of the technopath and for the protocol year ****, the recognized cases are distributed ** percent in the Northeast with *** cases (***).

Also based on Inail data, the Sin (***), Etr Large Repair Workshop in Bologna.

3.1 The main market players

National Register of Environmental Managers

Demolition or asbestos removal work can only be carried out by companies meeting the requirements of Article *** of Legislative Decree No. *** of April *, ****, which established the National Register of Environmental Managers. the National Register of Environmental Managers, identifies those entities that have the characteristics to carry out waste transportation. The National Register of Environmental Managers serves to recognize the technical, moral and financial capacity requirements of entities that carry out the following activities:

waste transportation; remediation of polluted and/or asbestos-containing sites; trade and intermediation of waste without holding the same.

The Register is organized into:

National Committee, based at the Ministry of the Environment; Regional Sections, at the Chambers of Commerce in the regional capitals.

The goal of the Register is to pursue transparency in the sector

Companies involved in asbestos removal, which as mentioned are all registered with the National Register of Environmental Managers, are divided into two categories: generalist companies, which in addition to asbestos removal operate in other sectors, and companies that specialize mainly in asbestos removal.

Generalist companies

The most important company in the sector, in terms of turnover, is Eldigen S.P.A.: a company specializing in building works and ...

3.2 Membership in the National Environmental Managers' Bureau

Registration with the Register is a requirement for carrying out the activities of waste collection and transportation, site remediation, remediation of asbestos-containing goods, trading and brokering of waste without holding the waste itself.

Exempted from the obligation under this paragraph are the organizations referred to in Articles ***, paragraph * (***), ***, ***, ***, ***, ***, *** and ***, Legislative Decree No. ***, and Legislative Decree No. *** of July **, ****, limited to the activity of brokering and trading without holding waste objects provided for in the above-mentioned articles.

The registration must be renewed every five years and constitutes a qualification for the exercise of the activities of collection, transportation, trade and intermediation of waste Companies that carry out the activities of site remediation and reclamation of goods containing asbestos must provide appropriate financial guarantees in favor of the territorially competent region for each remediation intervention in accordance with the general criteria referred to in Article ***, paragraph *, letter g). These guarantees are reduced by fifty percent for companies registered under Regulation (***) No. ***/****, and by forty percent in the case of companies holding environmental certification under Uni En Iso *****.

the enterprise or entity must:

be registered in the Register of Enterprises or the Economic Administrative Register (***) or, if based abroad, in the professional register of ...

3.3 Production by region and type of asbestos waste

Asbestos waste is defined as the artifacts removed during asbestos remediation that are then disposed of in the appropriate landfills(***).

Asbestos-containing waste is defined as the "Waste materials from asbestos mining activities, debris and slags from processing using asbestos, including from decoibentation operations as well as any object containing asbestos that has lost its intended use and can disperse asbestos fibers into the environment..."(***).

Asbestos-containing waste produced in Italy in the year **** amounted to *** thousand tons, consisting of **.*% construction materials containing asbestos, *.*% insulation materials containing asbestos, and *.*% metal packaging containing asbestos, brake pads containing asbestos, and discarded equipment containing free-fiber asbestos. The North produces **.* percent of the total asbestos waste produced nationwide, while the Center and the South produce **.* percent and **.* percent, respectively. Over the years, Lombardy has been confirmed as the region with the largest amount of asbestos waste with ** thousand tons or **.* percent of the national total. It is followed by Veneto with ** thousand tons equal to **% of the national total. The waste was divided based on the following types of the European Waste List (***): EER ******: metal packaging containing hazardous solid matrices (***) including empty pressure containers; EER ******: brake pads containing asbestos; EER ******: discarded equipment containing free-fiber asbestos; EER ******: asbestos-containing ...

3.4 The disposal of asbestos

TheSPECIAL WASTE REPORT ****by ISPRA brings us up to date on the situation of asbestos disposal in Italy. Total asbestos waste managed amounts to*** thousand tonsand consists of **.*% construction materials corresponding to *** thousand tons. The predominant form of management is thelandfill, with *** thousand tons corresponding to**,*%of the total managed; the remaining amount is sent to preliminary treatment and preliminary storage (***).

Disposal of asbestos Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

how is asbestos disposed of?

To fully understand the complexity of this scenario, it is necessary to understand how asbestos is disposed of. There are three ways to render this killer fiber harmless:

The first is landfilling by burial. The second relies on the use of facilities that carry out chemical processes such as lithification, vitrification and ceramization. The last mode of disposal, on the other hand, involves the transformation of asbestos into an inert compound incapable of releasing fibers. However, this process is extremely expensive and time-consuming.

Disposal sites

As mentioned above, there are ** landfills in Italy suitable for asbestos disposal. However, there are eight regions without such disposal sites and not willing to open any. Noteworthy is the fact that there is only one facility in Italy capable of receiving friable asbestos, ...

4.1 Asbestos abatement techniques

There are, in fact, two types of asbestos:

compact asbestos, which when broken down or dismantled does not crumble. Therefore, during disposal compact asbestos does not release toxic particles into the air. friable asbestos, which by nature releases a large amount of fibers, such as loose asbestos.

In the second case, with the passage of time, due to weathering and the loss of strength of cement, aero-dispersion occurs especially for asbestos roofs.

Compact asbestos can be dismantled from where it was installed, while friable asbestos must necessarily be encapsulated. Therefore, it is easier to remove compact asbestos. However, in each case, it is necessary to act quickly, because the deterioration of asbestos is a long-standing issue that needs to be resolved.

Starting from this assessment, it is therefore possible to choose among three asbestos abatement techniques to be adopted according to the state of preservation of the artifacts:

removal, which eliminates any potential source of exposure and the need for specific precautions within the building. However, it involves a very high risk for workers and produces huge amounts of special waste that must then be properly disposed of. encapsulation, which is the treatment of asbestos with penetrating or coating products that ...

4.2 Price analysis

The cost of remediation can vary depending on a number of factors, most notably: the complexity and duration of the work required, the structure of the property/shed being worked on, and the distances to the nearest licensed landfill. The price charged per square meter of asbestos is inversely proportional to the quantity, for example, it is significantly reduced in case of large quantities.

Below, however, we provide you with a summary of indicative costs (***).

4.3 Trend: Robotic extraction of asbestos fibers from buildings

Asbestos removal workers are paying close attention to robotic innovations. In particular, asbestos removal robots would make it possible to limit human intervention and thus greatly reduce labor costs and expenses related to containment and personal protective equipment.Asbestos removal players also rely on the development of digital tools, such as BIM (***)

Of particular relevance in this regard is the EU-funded Bots*ReC(***)

In ****, the project was a finalist for the European Commission's Radar Innovation Award in the Best Early Stage Innovation category. Because of its AI capabilities, it is also customizable for use in real-world conditions. The AI combines a lightweight data format tailored for an environmental representation with a complex planning module. As a result, it can provide a system that is scalable in terms of fleet size and automatically adaptable to the available floor plan. Most of the testing of Bots*ReC was done with an abrasion disk to reflect the actual process of asbestos removal. This allowed the team to understand and then control the complex mechanisms of such interaction. In addition, the sustainability of the system with regard to use in normal residential buildings was verified and tested for a multitude of rooms and floor plans. ...

5.1 Industry regulation

The fundamental law governing the banning of asbestos is Law No. *** of March **, ****, which not only "prohibits the extraction, import, export, marketing and production of asbestos, asbestos products or products containing asbestos" but also contains "measures for decontamination and remediation of areas affected by asbestos pollution."

In particular, Article ** stipulates in its various paragraphs that it is the responsibility of the Local Health Units to analyze buildings where asbestos might be present and to plan removal and fixing activities. Also in Article **, it stipulates that companies engaged in asbestos disposal and removal must register in a special section of the National Register of Companies Performing Waste Disposal Services. Asbestos waste, in fact, is classified as special, toxic and harmful waste.

After Law No. *** of March **, ****, which remains the standard of reference, a number of decrees and implementing circulars have been issued in the past with the aim of managing the danger posed by the still massive presence of asbestos in public and private buildings.Among these are the Presidential Decree of August *, ****, which provides the regions and autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano with directives for the adoption of plans for the protection, decontamination, disposal and remediation of the environment.

T.U. ...

5.2 Incentives

Tax rate

To determine the type of tax rate to be applied in cases of asbestos disposal and removal, it is first necessary to classify waste according to the relevant legislation, namely: according to its origin (***) can be classified as "special waste" and "urban waste," therefore subject to the ** percent VAT rate. The special waste catalog can be consulted at this link.

All other wastes that do not fall into this category must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to the criteria provided by the Ministry of the Environment. In particular, Asbestos that does not fall into the above categories and for this reason the **% reduced VAT rate cannot be applied, but the ordinary VAT rate of **% will have to be applied.

However, there is a clarification to be made. The **% preferential VAT can be applied in the case of asbestos remediation only if you are performing ordinary or extraordinary maintenance work that affects buildings with private residential use.

The same facilitation can also be applied in case of asbestos remediation performed within apartment buildings. In this case, both owners of buildings for residential use and tenants can take advantage of the preferential vat.In order to apply the preferential ...

6.1 Segmentation

• GRA AMBIENTE S.R.L.
• COOPERATIVA AUTOTRASPORTATORI FIORENTINI (CAF)
• Impercar
• EDILGEN S.P.A.
• Soluzioni Amianto S.r.l
• CAPRIOTTI & C. S.R.L.