July 20, 2026 11:39

Conai, the consortium responsible for packaging recycling in Italy, has published the country’s final packaging waste recovery data for 2025.

Italy recycled 10.97 million tonnes of packaging waste last year, equivalent to 77.3% of the 14.2 million tonnes placed on the market. In 2024, the recycling rate stood at 76.7%, with 10.7 million tonnes recycled. Including energy recovery, the overall share of packaging waste diverted from landfill rose to 86.6%.

By material, 50.5% of plastic packaging was recycled, corresponding to 1.161 million tonnes of conventional plastics and more than 44,000 tonnes of compostable bioplastics, thereby meeting the EU’s 2025 targets.

Recycling rates reached 82.2% for steel packaging, equivalent to 442,000 tonnes; 69.5% for aluminium packaging, or 56,000 tonnes; 69.7% for wood packaging, or 2.49 million tonnes; 92.6% for paper and cardboard packaging, or 4.61 million tonnes; and more than 82% for bottles and other glass containers, amounting to around 2.15 million tonnes.

Conai’s General Activity Report also recorded an increase in the volume of reusable packaging declared to the consortium, which reached almost 1.355 million tonnes, more than 100,000 tonnes above the 2024 level. The increase was driven mainly by the wood packaging supply chain, where both open- and closed-loop repair and reuse systems are expanding.

“This achievement should nevertheless be regarded as a starting point, not an end point,” said Ignazio Capuano (pictured), President of Conai. “In the coming years, companies will need to focus increasingly on design for reuse and recyclability, as well as on the use of secondary raw materials, which must be promoted if we are to truly close the loop.”

© Polimerica -  Reproduction prohibited, all rights reserved