L’Italia raggiunge oltre il 77% di riciclo degli imballaggi

“This is a significant milestone that reaffirms Italy’s leadership in the circular economy and the effectiveness of a model based on collaboration among institutions, businesses, consortia, and citizens,” states Vannia Gava, Deputy Minister for the Environment and Energy Security. “Investing in recycling and the circular economy means merging sustainability, competitiveness, and growth. The Government will continue to support this path, facilitating necessary investments and strengthening the system at the local level. The circular economy represents a substantial opportunity for the country and a model that Italy can offer to Europe.”

Specifically, Italy has given a second life to 82.2% of steel packaging, amounting to over 442,000 tons; 69.5% of aluminum packaging, equating to 56,000 tons; 92.6% of paper and cardboard packaging, which is 4 million and 612,000 tons; 69.7% of wooden packaging, amounting to 2 million and 493,000 tons; 50.5% of plastic packaging, comprising 1 million and 161,000 tons of traditional plastic and over 44,000 tons of compostable bioplastics; and over 82% of glass packaging, which is 2 million and 155,000 tons.

“However, this achievement should be regarded as a starting point, not an endpoint,” remarks Ignazio Capuano, President of CONAI. “In the coming years, companies must increasingly focus on design oriented towards reuse and recyclability, as well as on the use of secondary raw materials, which is essential for truly closing the loop. In the emerging scenario, the Consortium will maintain its support role for businesses, providing technical expertise and necessary tools to adapt to new community standards, and assisting public administrations in promoting effective and efficient collection systems, particularly for domestic packaging, with special attention to consumption outside the home.”

In 2025, there is also expected growth in the reuse of packaging. For over a decade, the Consortium has introduced incentives and simplified processes for reusable packaging, and last year, nearly 1 million and 355,000 tons of reusable packaging were reported to the Consortium, an increase of over 100,000 tons compared to 2024, particularly thanks to the wooden packaging sector, where open and closed repair and reuse circuits are expanding.

When combined with the percentage of packaging sent for energy recovery, the overall share of used packaging diverted from landfills reaches 86.6%.

– photo from CONAI press office –