June 25, 2025 15:25

Italian manufacturers of plastics and rubber processing machinery ended 2024 on a stronger note than initially expected.

According to the latest figures released during the General Assembly of Amaplast — the national trade association representing the sector — industry revenue rose by 1.4%, surpassing €4.82 billion. This performance reverses the previously projected 2% decline reported in March and follows a record-setting 2023 for the Italian machinery industry.

The assembly also saw the reappointment of the association’s leadership for the 2025–27 term: Massimo Margaglione (Gefit) as president, and Gabriele Caccia (Syncro) and Barbara Ulcelli (IMG) as vice presidents.

In his address, President Margaglione emphasized not only the improved financial results but also the sector’s growing concerns over European environmental policy. While recognizing the noble aims of the EU Green Deal, he warned that the current trajectory risks accelerating industrial decline across Europe.

Margaglione called for a realistic reassessment of sustainability goals, particularly those embedded in the new packaging regulation (PPWR). He stressed that the definition of delegated acts could provide a crucial opportunity to correct regulatory imbalances. “What’s at stake,” he argued, “is the ability of European businesses to compete on equal footing with global rivals, many of whom face no comparable environmental constraints.”

“We are not against the Green Deal,” he clarified. “It is certainly an opportunity for our companies. But it must be backed by coherent economic policies that do not undermine the competitiveness of our industry.”

He also called for European-level action to protect local markets from a flood of low-cost imports, produced using polluting methods that account for more than 53% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

To support the sector’s ecological transition, Margaglione proposed the creation of a dedicated EU fund to help companies shift toward lower-impact packaging. Such a transformation, he argued, must not rest solely on the shoulders of private industry but be matched with financial support for production plant conversion.

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