ust ten years old and already achieving great things. Indeed, since 2005, the Italian consortium for the recycling and recovery of steel packaging (www.consorzio-acciaio.org) has been exceeding the 50% threshold for recycled materials set by European regulations. The Italian Steel Consortium (CNA) was founded in 1997 and has 242 members - producers of raw materials and containers - ranging from producers and importers of raw packaging materials to producers of packaging and packaging accessories as well as importers of empty packaging, self-producers and importers of filled packaging. The CNA is one of the sector’s six consortiums that make up CONAI (the Italian Packaging Consortium) and, in the last year, it has achieved the recycling of 69% of the steel packaging consumed in Italy.

The Consortium’s leap forward was confirmed in 2001 when the quantity of steel packaging recycled increased from 156 to 249 thousand tons (up from 26% to 45.7% of the total amount). The following year, it beat the EU target, recycling 54.8% (310 thousand tons) of material. 2005 marked another key achievement when the quantity recovered increased by almost ten percent (up from 53.5% to 63.3% in the space of twelve months). In the last year, of the 563 thousand tons of steel packaging used, no less than 411 thousand were collected and 391 thousand were sent for recycling, resulting in 19% more recycling than the legal target.

Over 5,100 Italian Municipalities (63%) are active in the steel recovery sector. The number of Italian citizens who recycle is even higher at 43.4 million (84%). These are impressive numbers and are transforming steel recycling from merely an environmental goal into a genuine business (the average cost of collection and recycling being around 33.72 euros per ton). This is confirmed by the facts and figures on the sector. Indeed, the main Italian recycling consortiums made 179 million euros in 2007; 40% more than in 2006. In the last year, CONAI, to which the National Steel Consortium (CNA) belongs, recorded a 6% increase in packaging collection and recycling of paper, aluminium, wood, plastic, glass and steel with over 7.1 million tons, which is 57% of the total consumed. 1.32 million tons also went into energy recovery (4.7% more than in 2006).

The Italian Steel Consortium (CAN) estimates proceeds of 11.5 million euros for 2007, a slight increase (+7.6%) compared to 2006, and the forecast for 2008 is for a substantial performance with proceeds of 11 million euros. According to the CNA's detailed prevention plan for 2008, while turnovers are stable, the overall costs will increase significantly during the current year (from 13.4 million euros in 2006 to an expected 15.8 million in 2008) due to a predicted increase in the quantities of packaging waste collected and an increase in the sums payable to parties contracted under the agreement between CONAI and Italian Municipalities.