This report was drawn up by Italy's Circular Economy Network for the 2026 National Conference on the Circular Economy. 

It finds that while Italy is a leader in Europe when it comes to circularity, it is the most dependent on imports of materials. 46.6% of processed raw materials are imported, well above the EU average of 22.4%. This cost Italy EUR 600 billion in 2025, a 23.3% increase on 2021, largely because prices are rising sharply.

However, Italy's circular material use rate in Europe was 21.6% in 2024, the highest in Europe. 85.6% of waste is recycled (EU average: 41.2%) and 76.7% of packaging is recycled (EU average: 67.5%).

The full report is available in Italian and there is a summary in English.

The website also includes links to previous years' reports.