The Federazione Carta e Grafica, Italy's leading paper and graphics industry association, will convene a high-profile assembly in Rome on June 25, 2026, at Palazzo Rospigliosi, starting at 14:30. The event, titled "Industria, competitività e bene comune" (Industry, Competitiveness, and the Common Good), will gather senior political figures and industry leaders to address the sector's escalating challenges around industrial innovation, ecological transition, and global competitiveness.
The assembly comes at a critical juncture for an industry that employs over 160,000 workers across roughly 16,000 companies but faces mounting pressures from high energy costs, digital disruption, and fierce international competition.
Why This Matters
• Economic weight: The paper and graphics sector remains a cornerstone of Italian manufacturing, but its financial trajectory and employment stability depend on cost competitiveness and regulatory alignment with EU sustainability mandates.
• Legislative momentum: A proposed national recycling day for paper, already approved by the Chamber of Deputies in March 2026, awaits Senate passage—signaling policy focus on circular economy infrastructure.
• Energy crisis exposure: Italy's paper mills face some of Europe's highest electricity tariffs, undermining the sector's ability to compete with German, Swedish, and non-EU rivals despite leading recycling performance.
First Economic Report to Benchmark the Sector
Andrea D'Amato, president of the Federazione Carta e Grafica, will present the federation's inaugural Rapporto economico della filiera Carta e Grafica, offering the first comprehensive financial snapshot of the sector's contribution to national GDP, job creation, and sustainable development. The report is expected to quantify the industry's value generation and highlight structural vulnerabilities, particularly in the graphic papers segment, which contracted by 7.2% in 2025 due to ongoing digitalization and shrinking print media demand.
Conversely, the packaging paper and cardboard segment showed resilience, with production holding nearly flat (+0.1% in 2025), supported by e-commerce growth and the push for sustainable packaging alternatives to plastic. Hygiene and sanitary products recorded a minor decline (-0.8%), while disposable foodservice items are forecast for significant growth through 2026.
The assembly will be moderated by Celestina Dominelli, a journalist with Il Sole 24 Ore, and conclude with remarks from Emanuele Orsini, president of Confindustria, Italy's main employers' federation, who is expected to outline strategic priorities for strengthening Italian industrial competitiveness amid geopolitical and economic headwinds.
Political Figures Signal Legislative Support
The guest list underscores the sector's political relevance. Elisa Montemagni (Lega), co-sponsor of the bill establishing a National Paper Recycling Day on September 18 each year, will participate alongside three powerful committee chairs:
• Alberto Gusmeroli, who leads the Chamber of Deputies' Commission on Productive Activities, Trade, and Tourism
• Pierfrancesco Maran, president of the European Parliament's Commission on Environment, Climate, and Food Security
• Federico Mollicone, head of the Chamber's Commission on Culture
The proposed recycling day legislation, initially introduced by Deputy Massimo Milani (Fratelli d'Italia) and co-signed by Montemagni in March 2025, passed the Chamber of Deputies on March 10, 2026, and was transmitted to the Senate (S. 1833) the following day. As of late March, the bill was assigned to the Senate's 8th Permanent Commission (Environment, Ecological Transition, Energy) but has not yet begun formal review. If enacted, the annual celebration would formalize Italy's leadership in paper circularity and potentially drive investment in domestic recycling infrastructure.
What This Means for Residents and Investors
For households and businesses operating in Italy, the paper and graphics sector's trajectory has immediate and medium-term implications:
Cost implications: Energy-intensive paper production directly influences packaging costs for consumer goods. If mills continue to face power tariffs significantly above those paid by German or Scandinavian competitors, Italian manufacturers may shift sourcing abroad, weakening domestic supply chains and raising import dependency.
Circular economy credibility: Italy's 92% recycling rate for paper and cardboard packaging far exceeds the EU's 2030 target of 85%, positioning the country as a benchmark for circularity. However, roughly 1.73 million tonnes of recoverable paper are exported annually rather than reprocessed domestically—a missed opportunity for job creation and resource sovereignty.
Regulatory burden and opportunity: The advent of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) in 2026, part of the EU's broader sustainability framework, requires manufacturers to disclose material traceability, environmental impact, and end-of-life instructions. While compliance demands investment in data systems and supply-chain transparency, it also offers a marketing advantage for "Made in Italy" brands emphasizing verified sustainability credentials.
Labor market stability: The renewal of the National Collective Labor Agreement for paper and cardboard workers, signed in February 2026 and valid through December 31, 2028, provides a four-year framework for wages and working conditions. This stability is crucial in a sector undergoing rapid technological change, including automation of quality control in recycled fiber sorting—an area where Italian firms lead European adoption.
Ecological Transition: Leadership Shadowed by Cost Pressure
Italy's paper industry has achieved 70% use of recycled fiber in production, and many mills generate their own electricity via high-efficiency cogeneration. The sector's carbon footprint per tonne of output has declined steadily, aligning with European Green Deal objectives. Yet this environmental leadership is overshadowed by a fundamental competitiveness gap: electricity prices in Italy remain among the highest in Europe, a structural disadvantage that threatens plant closures and job losses unless addressed through targeted subsidies or pan-European energy policy reform.
The 2026 assembly will also examine compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which from this year requires large and mid-sized companies to publish verified environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data. For smaller firms in the graphics segment—many of which are family-owned—the administrative and technical burden of CSRD reporting poses a significant challenge.
Water management, though improved industry-wide, remains a pressure point. Seasonal droughts in northern and central Italy stress mill operations, particularly in regions lacking integrated water-recycling systems.
Outlook: Innovation or Decline
The assembly's focus on industrial innovation reflects an existential question for the sector: Can Italian paper and graphics companies innovate fast enough to offset structural cost disadvantages and shifting demand patterns? Investment in digital printing technologies, high-quality marketing materials, and specialty packaging—areas where customization and design command premium margins—offers one pathway. Another lies in deepening integration with the circular economy, capturing more of the 1.73M tonnes of exported recyclables and converting them into high-value products domestically.
The presence of Confindustria's Orsini signals that the paper sector's challenges are understood at the highest levels of Italian industry. Whether that translates into concrete policy support—energy cost relief, R&D incentives, or streamlined permitting for recycling infrastructure—will determine whether the sector sustains its 160,000 jobs or enters a period of contraction and consolidation.
The June 25 assembly will not produce legislation, but it will clarify the industry's priorities and test the political will to act on them. For anyone tracking Italy's industrial policy, supply-chain resilience, or environmental commitments, the event is a bellwether worth watching.
