July 9, 2026 12:27
IPPR has published its annual report on the consumption of recycled plastics in Italy, prepared by consultancy Plastic Consult on the basis of a survey carried out among Italian industry operators, including recyclers, processors and compounders.
The analysis covers the processing of the most commonly used recycled polymers - polyolefins, PET, PVC and polystyrene - excluding engineering plastics.
The first figure to consider, also in light of the recent difficulties faced by the recycling supply chain, is that recycled plastics consumption in Italy appears to have remained essentially flat for several years and, in 2025, fell by around 22,000 tonnes, from 1,340,000 to 1,318,000 tonnes.
This points to an almost flat trend following the strong post-Covid rebound in 2021 (+17%) and the more modest increase in 2022 (+4.1%), and could signal a reversal of trend.
“The 2025 data tell us that plastics recycling is a structural component of the Italian plastics processing industry, but also that growth cannot be taken for granted: investment, regulatory stability and more informed demand are needed to enhance the work of the entire supply chain, from recyclers to user brands,” commented Libero Cantarella (pictured), president of IPPR, the Institute for the Promotion of Recycled Plastics, the organisation that, through the Plastica Seconda Vita (PSV) label, supports the certification of materials and products obtained from plastic waste or by-products.
Looking more closely at individual polymers, only PET, partly as a result of the SUP Directive, and recycled PVC recorded increases in consumption, of 6.6% and 1.8% respectively. Polyolefins ended the year in negative territory, while styrenics saw a sharper decline (-11.6%) after sustained growth over the past three years.
Where are recycled plastics used in Italy? Forty percent goes into packaging, a slightly higher share than in 2024, supported by a 2.5% increase in volumes. Building and construction remains the second-largest destination sector, with 24% of the total, although volumes declined, followed by hygiene and urban furniture at 12%, one percentage point less than the previous year.
The shares of housewares, furniture and furnishings (9%), textiles (4%), agriculture (3%), technical articles (3%) and other diversified sectors (5%) remained virtually unchanged. Technical articles, however, lost as much as 14.3% in volume, a result analysts consider consistent with the weakness of industrial uses and some durable and semi-durable goods sectors, particularly automotive and major household appliances.
According to indications gathered from the operators interviewed, the weakness of recycling in its final stage reflects factors already highlighted in recent months by trade associations: recyclate is facing competition from low-cost virgin polymers and is being penalised by energy costs, as well as imports from both within and outside the EU.
As regards the outlook, analysts are cautious because of uncertainty in the market framework, which does not concern only the recycled materials market. They do not rule out “a selective recovery in the use of recycled materials, more likely in sectors supported by regulatory requirements or characterised by tighter conditions on the virgin materials market”, but see no concrete signs of a generalised recovery in consumption.
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