Ready-Mixed Green Plasters for the Preservation of the Architectural Heritage. Analysis of the Environmental Profile and Certification

Commercial plasters have found widespread use in the conservation of building heritage. Their use has been encouraged by the important advantages they offer, such as consistent product quality and the easy application. On the other hand, it is not possible to know all the components of the mixtures, as current regulations do not require a detailed declaration of the product’s composition. Among these materials, it has become common to find mixtures with a green label. These products are increasingly present on the market, especially since the introduction of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which proposes a global approach to the production system that pays attention not only to the economic aspects of the production process, but also to the social and environmental ones. These materials are labelled green when the raw materials, their extraction and processing ensure a lower environmental impact than common industrial methods and should not contain substances considered harmful to humans, animals and the environment. The sustainability of materials can then be confirmed by specific declarations standardized (such as Environmental Product Declarations - EPDs), by national or international certification protocols or, in some cases, their sustainability is declared by the supplier without any document attesting to it.