April 9, 2026 14:55

Last year, according to Plastic Consult’s Plastic Trend Synthesis report, virgin thermoplastics consumption in Italy reached 5.01 million tonnes, essentially unchanged from the previous year (-0.2%).
Volumes have now remained depressed for a third consecutive year (see chart), still far from the record of more than 7.1 million tonnes set in 2007.

Even when recycled material is included — which Plastic Consult estimates at more than 1.3 million tonnes in 2024 — the domestic market remains well below its “golden years”.

The reasons behind the stagnation are the same ones weighing on manufacturing not only in Italy: high energy costs, stagnant end consumption despite the gradual easing of inflation, and competitive pressure on exports resulting from tariffs, the strengthening of the euro against the dollar, and the climate of uncertainty permeating the global economy.

If the start of 2025 was unfavourable for Italy’s plastics processing industry, demand posted seasonal growth in the middle months — between April and July — although it remained below 2024 levels, with some key flexible packaging segments under pressure, such as stretch film and PP-based films.

Plastic Consult points to positive signs in food packaging, particularly barrier coextrusions, while industrial packaging — especially flexible packaging — suffered from the decline in manufacturing output in both Italy and Germany, the country’s main trading partner.

Construction followed a downsizing path, in line with the reshaping or cancellation of tax incentives. Particularly hard hit were segments with significant exposure to renovation work, such as EPS-based insulation materials and PVC window profiles. By contrast, the infrastructure segment began to show accelerating consumption linked to the rollout of PNRR funds, which continued throughout the second half of 2025, the Milan-based consulting firm notes.

As for semi-durable goods — household items, outdoor furniture and similar products — performance was uneven: virgin plastics consumption in outdoor furniture increased both because of stronger demand and because of reduced use of recyclates, while the other segments remained in negative territory.

Among the other major end-use sectors, the sharp contraction in domestic vehicle production was confirmed, at about -25% for passenger cars and more than -13% for vans, only partly offset by exports of OEM components and spare parts. Major household appliances also continued to face difficulties, resulting in a decline in production output.

In the final part of the year, there was a slight recovery in virgin thermoplastics consumption, but not enough to return to flat growth, also because of the prolonged winter shutdowns implemented by several companies in the sectors under the greatest strain.

Looking ahead to 2026, the picture appears more uncertain than ever. 
“If, before the conflict in the Middle East, one could have expected a confirmation of the trend seen in recent years — generally weakening, with few signs of recovery,” says Paolo Arcelli (pictured) of Plastic Consult, “today we can expect a significant reduction in national industrial output, mainly due to a supply-side shock, with record prices seen in April and the risk of a contraction in polymer availability in the coming months.”

Plastic Trend Synthesis is a multi-client study produced every year by the Milan-based consultancy Plastic Consult. It provides a detailed analysis of trends in the Italian market for the main thermoplastic polymers: polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE), polypropylene, PVC, styrenics (PS, EPS, ABS) and PET. Each edition reports data for the previous three years and forecasts for the following two.

© Polimerica -  Reproduction prohibited, all rights reserved