CONAI

The Consortium System in Italy and Europe

The Italian consortium system plays a fundamental role in packaging waste management, ensuring compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principles. Established by Legislative Decree No. 22/97 (the Ronchi Decree), the system is tasked with achieving national recycling and recovery targets while promoting eco-innovationand prevention policies.

At the core of this system is CONAI, which manages the CONAI Environmental Contribution (CAC)—a fee paid by producers and users based on the type and quantity of packaging they place on the market. While CONAI retains a portion for its operational activities, the majority of funds are distributed to Material Consortia, which then compensate municipalities through the ANCI-CONAI Framework Agreement for the additional costs of separate collection.

On a European level, CONAI is a member of EXPRA (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance), representing non-profit packaging waste management systems across Europe.

Italy’s Recycling and Recovery Performance

According to the latest General Programme for the Prevention and Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste, in 2021, Italy recycled 73.3% of the 14 million tonnes of packaging placed on the market, equivalent to 10.55 million tonnes. This marks a slight increase from 2020’s record 73%, significantly exceeding the EU’s 2025 target of 65%.

The breakdown of recycling contributions is as follows:

• 50% of packaging recycling was managed by the CONAI system’s Material Consortia.
• 48% was handled by independent recyclers.
• 2% was processed by independent systems.

When energy recovery (using packaging waste as an alternative fuel source) is included, the total packaging recovery rate in Italy exceeds 82%, equivalent to 11.8 million tonnes.

Support for Municipalities and the Circular Economy

In 2021, 7,583 municipalities (serving 98% of the population) had agreements with the CONAI system, enabling more efficient and widespread packaging waste collection. The CONAI system provided municipalities with €727 millionto cover the higher costs of separate waste collection—€70 million more than the previous year. Additionally, €445 million was allocated for treatment, recycling, and recovery activities.

Italy’s strong performance in packaging recovery and recycling is made possible by CONAI’s collaboration with municipalities and its network of 579 treatment, repair, and recycling platforms, which handle both urban and commercial packaging waste in partnership with Material Consortia.

➡️ Download the CONAI PGP 2022 Reports:

• Abstract: [General Programme for the Prevention and Management of Packaging Waste 2022 – Abstract]
• Executive Summary: [General Programme for Packaging Waste Prevention and Management 2022 – Executive Summary]
• Full Version: [General Programme for Packaging Waste Prevention and Management 2022]

This system ensures that Italy remains a leader in sustainable packaging waste management, reinforcing its commitment to circular economy principles and environmental protection.

Governance of CONAI

CONAI (Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi) is a private non-profit consortium established in 1997, bringing together approximately 700,000 companies in Italy. Its membership is composed of both packaging producers—companies that manufacture or import packaging materials such as glass, plastic, paper, metals, and wood—and packaging users, including retailers, manufacturers, and distributors.

The Board of Directors, which governs CONAI, consists of 17 members: eight representatives from the producers’ category, eight from the users’ category, and one appointed by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economic Development to represent consumers. The Board serves a three-year term and elects the President, responsible for ensuring that CONAI operates in alignment with its mission and the interests of its members.

In addition to the Board of Directors, the Board of Statutory Auditors oversees the consortium’s financial management, ensuring regulatory compliance. Other governance bodies include the Fee Determination Committee and the Stakeholder Advisory Committee. CONAI adheres to a Code of Conduct, reinforcing its commitment to transparency and accountability.

CONAI operates alongside seven consortia and four self-compliance PROs (CORIPET, PARI, CONIP, ERION) within Italy’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework.

At the heart of CONAI’s work is the role of raising awareness among citizens about creating a culture and environmental education that focus on the importance of separate waste collection, recycling and the recovery of packaging materials.

This role comes straight from the legislation laid down under Legislative Decree No 152/2006 (Title II, Article 224, paragraph g), which entrusts CONAI with the task of organising, in accordance with Public Administration, any information campaigns deemed necessary to achieve the goals of recycling and recovering packaging that have been assigned to the consortium system.

Citizens have a key role in the recycling process. They are essential players since without their help in correctly sorting out household waste, the entire material collection and recovery system would not be able to run smoothly.

In recent years, CONAI has run many campaigns and initiatives across Italy aimed at citizens, public bodies and businesses, as well as school education projects to promote a culture of recycling and respect for the environment.

Prevention is a set of policies, programs and best practices, taken before a substance, material or product has become waste. In reference to packaging solutions, one of the most important challenge is to minimize environmental impacts with a life cycle approach.  All the activities carried out by CONAI, in accordance with current legislation, aim to promote specific measures of prevention, first of all for members. Moreover, every year, CONAI draw up a “Programma generale di prevenzione” sent to the Italian Authorities by the end of June. In this document CONAI describes measures and results of prevention activities and recycling, defining a 5-year implementing program.

CONAI promotes prevention through two different kind of measures:

• • Structural initiatives: economic incentives and fees modulation in order to consider reuse and recyclability of different packaging solutions;
  • Awareness initiatives: like “Pensare Futuro” project to promote and support business strategies with the aim to improve sustainable packaging solution, starting from eco design.

The CONAI’s purpose aims to raise awareness on prevention topic for all the supply chain, from producer to consumer, to realize the transaction toward both circular economy criteria and sustainable development goals.

CONAI – Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi

Via Pompeo Litta, 5
20122 Milano
ITALY

E-mail: international@conai.org
Web: https:/www.conai.org/en/