Wood recycling, by 2025 the recycling rate rises to nearly 70 per cent

He uses the word 'system' several times, Nicola Semeraro, president of Rilegno, the national consortium for the recovery and recycling of wood packaging, which in 2025 managed over 98,000 transports, supporting a network of 412 collection platforms throughout the country, 15 recycling plants and 1,904 consortium members.

A system that unites companies, institutions and citizens, to give new life to wood, a material that is by its very nature sustainable and that can also be reused and recycled almost countless times, "making a concrete contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions, limiting the use of virgin raw materials and spreading a more responsible development model," explained the president at the end of the conference 'The Value of Wood', held at the Milan Triennale on 14 May.

A system that combines industry, design and technology, that generates value for the country, that transforms waste into a resource and confirms Italia's excellence compared to the rest of Europe, along the entire wood supply chain, up to its disposal or regeneration.

With a recycling rate close to 70% (69.8% in 2025, up 2% compared to 2024), Italia is well above the target set by the European Union, at 30%. In 2025, the release of recovered wood for consumption exceeded 3.5 million tonnes (+3.7%), driven in particular by the spread of regenerated pallets, confirming the sector's growing focus on reuse and circularity models. At the same time, the volumes of wood sent for recovery also grew, reaching almost 1.8 million tonnes, with an increase in activities especially in the regions of Central and Southern Italy. By 2025, more than one million tonnes of pallets will have been recovered, equivalent to more than 70 million units put back on the market, significantly reducing the consumption of new resources.

Also presented during the conference was a SDA Bocconi study, curated by Professor Francesco Bertolini, which analysed how companies perceive the value of wood compared to other materials, considering environmental, economic and operational aspects. For the companies surveyed, wood is largely associated with naturalness and, to a lesser extent, renewability, while its value linked to the life cycle and sustainability is not yet fully internalised. 70% of companies consider it more sustainable than other alternatives. It is valued for its environmental impact, aesthetics, corporate image and ease of disposal, while cost is the main concern.