Italy

Specific Measures:

1. National Strategy for Circular Economy:
Policy targets by 2035:

• the introduction of binding eco-design specifications.
• promotion of eco-innovation as a tool of competitiveness e sustainability and identification of tools to develop opportunities for eco-innovation in the context of the circular economy;
• promotion of technologies and methodologies for the use and efficient product management;
• promotion of new business models that maximize the circularity of products (e.g. models of product-as-a-service).

2. MEC (Minimum Environmental Criteria):
MEC are defined for the environmental sustainability of consumption in the public administration sector.

3. Introduction of measures that incentivize the eco-design of textile products in the EPR Italian system:

• To eliminate dangerous components and substances also with reference to microplastics released into the environment
• To reduce quality defects that lead the consumer to discard textile products
• To use blended techniques of fibers and fabrics that promote adaptability to multiple uses and repairability

4. Legislative Decree no. 196/2021: to reduce the quantity of plastic packaging waste that is not recycled, by establishing plastic recycled content targets for PET bottles (25% by 2025, 30% by 2030).

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Specific Measures:
■ Use of biodegradable plastics
■ Use of recycled materials
Brief description:

1. Ministerial Decree no. 89 of 5 March 2024 - Definition of criteria and methods of application and use of a contribution for the purchase and use of alternative materials and products to those made of disposable plastic in compliance with the maximum expenditure limit envisaged, with priority for disposable products intended to come into contact with food. Contribution to businesses to promote the purchase and use of alternative materials and products (biodegradable and/or compostable) to disposable plastic ones.
2. Tax credit for the purchase of recycled materials from separate waste collection: In order to increase the recycling of mixed plastics and aiming at reducing the environmental impact of packaging, all companies that purchase products made with materials deriving from the separate collection of plastic packaging can be granted, for each of the years 2023 and 2024, a tax credit of 36 per cent of the expenses incurred and documented for the aforementioned purchases.

Specific Measures:
Targeted Products
■ Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Brief description:
From January 1, 2020, Italy has banned the use of microplastics in rinse-off cosmetic products intended for exfoliation or cleansing. This ban is established by Law No. 205 of December 27, 2017. According to this law, manufacturers can no longer place on the market cosmetic products containing exfoliating or cleansing microplastics.

■ Others
Brief description:
Programme of measures according to Article 13 of the MSFD (2021);
Design and testing of experimental prototypes for the removal of microplastics by wastewater treatment plants.

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■ Regulatory Measures (ex: production ban, Ban on use..etc)
Brief description:

2018. National legislative measure: ban light and ultralight shopping plastic bags that are not biodegradable and compostable.

2019. National legislative measure: ban of plastic cotton bud’s sticks

2021. Transposition of DIRECTIVE 2019/904/EC on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. D.Lgs 196/2021: measures aimed at preventing and reducing the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the aquatic environment, and on human health, as well as promote the transition towards a circular economy, innovative and sustainable products and materials, thus contributing to the reduction of waste production, to the correct functioning of the market and promoting behaviour responsible for the correct management of plastic waste. This decree also contains measures aimed at promoting the use of recycled plastic suitable for direct contact food in beverage bottles.

MEC (Minimum Environmental Criteria):
MEC are defined for the environmental sustainability of consumption in the public administration sector

Specific Measures:

Specific Measures:

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Specific Measures:

Specific Measures:

Furthermore, Italy has mandatory EPR on:

• exhausted vegetable and animal oils and fats;
• waste from electrical and electronic equipment;
• batteries and accumulators and related waste.

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Specific Measures:
1.National Programme for Waste Management:

The National Program for Waste Management is a tool that guides and supports regional waste management planning to ensure compliance of planning criteria with the objectives of EU legislation. It also aims to enforce the sustainability, efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of waste management systems throughout the national territory.
Targets:

• To contribute to sustainable use of resources and reduce potential negative environmental impacts of waste cycle;
• Progressive rebalancing of socio-economic gaps in the waste management;
• Strengthen the awareness and virtuous behavior of economic actors and citizens for waste reduction and valorisation;
• To promote a waste cycle management that contributes to the achievement of the objectives of climate neutrality.

Specific Measures:

1. EPR: In order to encourage the recycling of plastic packaging, the consortia implement a differentiation of the “environmental fee” (“contributo ambientale” in italian) for plastic packaging based on recyclability. The “environmental contribution” represents the form of financing through which the consortia share the cost for the separate collection, recycling and recovery of packaging waste between producers and users. This differentiation provides a reduction of the fee for producers that guarantee that packaging can be selected and recycled.
2. Legislative Decree no. 196/2021: to reduce the quantity of plastic packaging waste that is not recycled, by establishing plastic recycled content targets for PET bottles (25% by 2025, 30% by 2030).
3. in the framework of the Recovery and Resilience National Plan in section M2C1 “Circular Economy and Sustainable Agriculture” important funding has been provided in favor of highly innovative projects for the treatment and recycling of waste stream identified in the Action Plan for the Circular Economy launched by the EU. More specifically, 150 million euros are allocated to Line C - Construction of new plants for the recycling of plastic waste (through mechanical and chemical recycling, plastic hubs), including marine plastic litter.

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Measures included in the Directorial decree no. 525 of 13 December 2023 above mentioned.

1. Initiative of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security to clean up the sea of marine litter.
   The Castalia ships, specialized in the recovery of hydrocarbons, in 2021 is supporting the Ministry of the Ecological Transition to collect floating marine litter and in particular plastic waste, both in protected marine areas and in areas in front of river mouths. For this activity, the Ministry is also supported by Corepla, the National Consortium for the collection, recycling and recovery of plastic packaging, for an experimental project for the recycling of plastic material recovered from the sea fleet
2. Clean up initiatives by national NGOs: Legambiente, Marevivo, WWF and others.
   Initiatives with diving centres to remove marine litter from the seabed.
3. “Life Blue Lakes” project under LIFE Programme (coordinated by Legambiente).
   The project aims to reduce the presence of microplastics in Italian lakes, through governance, training, information and awareness activities aimed at institutions, stakeholders and citizens, in particular by developing solutions and promoting participatory processes aimed at adopting good practices, in line with the European Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy.

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Specific Measures:
The Council Implementing Decision (EU) (ST 10160/21) of 13 July 2021 approved the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Italy that contains the – INVESTMENT 3.5 "Seabed Restoration and Protection (MER)" the project contains no. 37 large-scale interventions scale divided between LINE A (seabed remediation interventions, with related mapping activities of the relevant seabed) and LINE B (interventions to strengthen monitoring capacities for the knowledge of marine-coastal ecosystems).
The intervention A12 is focused on the Identification and possible removal of fishing and aquaculture gear abandoned or lost at sea.

Specific Measures:
Decree 27 october 2023, Definition of the minimum national annual collection rate of discarded fishing gear containing plastic for recycling. This decree establishes a minimum annual national collection rate of plastic-containing fishing gear waste for recycling is set at 15% by weight of the plastic-containing fishing gear placed on the national market during the respective reference years for the biennium 2024 and 2025.

Specific Measures:
2021. Ministry of Environment and Energy Security signed a protocol with FederlegnoArredo, the Alliance of the Italian Fishing Cooperatives and Marevivo to promote the use of renewable packaging in the fish industry.

Specific Measures:

1. Programme of measures according to Article 13 of the MSFD (2021).
   Design and implementation of measures to improve the management of litter generated by fishing and aquaculture activities, including discarded equipment, favoring, where possible, its reuse, recycling and recovery

Specific Measures:

1. ISPRA, the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research every year organizes environmental education initiatives for sustainability, aimed at schools of all levels (https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it)
2. The Researchers' Night is an initiative promoted by the European Commission since 2005 that involves thousands of researchers and research institutions in all European countries every year. The goal is to create opportunities for researchers and citizens to meet to spread scientific culture and knowledge of the research professions in an informal and stimulating context.
3. ScienzaInsieme to promote scientific dissemination. It offers to a wide audience the opportunity to experience science in laboratories, in conferences, seminars, scientific cafes, tours, exhibitions and during the numerous activities designed for children and families and the schools. ScienzaInsieme spreads information, news, videos on the main events and initiatives in the scientific world https://www.scienzainsieme.it/
4. Ministry of Education: “Rigenerazione scuola” programme: activities aimed at promoting awareness and knowledge of problems associated with the consumption of disposable plastic and at promoting sustainable lifestyles are planned for the school community.

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Specific Measures:
e.g. Funding of research activities aimed at reducing waste produced by single-use plastic, edition 2021: The research activity consists in the identification and development of measures aimed at the prevention, reuse and recycling of personal protective equipment as well as those used following the emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19, mainly aimed at finding innovative technological means for the purpose of recovering material from such devices while respecting the safety of users and operators.

e.g.2 Funding activities for the installation of collection devices positioned in the section of some rivers; It was noted a positive improvement over the last two years due to rivers anti-pollution barriers (Po, Aniene and Tiber) to collect litter. The intercepted litter is collected by COREPLA a private company for plastic recycling.

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Specific Measures:
■ Regularly conduct monitoring/estimation/scientific research

Scope: ■ National

Brief Description:
Marine Strategy Framework Directive Article 11 Monitoring Programmes

Beach litter
Scope. Data collection on quantity, composition, trends and possible sources of marine litter present on beaches.
Parameter. Number of objects per category on 100 m of beach.

Method. Monitoring of transects represented by a strip of beach of 100 m. Counting and characterization of Items larger than 2.5 cm (longest side) including cigarette butts.

Frequency. Twice a year

• from 01 February to 30 April (Spring)
• from 01 October to 31 December (Autumn)

Floating litter
Scope. Data collection on quantity, composition, and territorial distribution of waste in the surface layer of the water column.
Parameter. Numbers of items by category per square kilometer (km2) in the surface layer of the water column.
Method. A visual census monitoring with a dedicated observer within a defined strip along the entire path of the transect of a maximum of 5 m.
Frequency.
Coastal waters: six surveys a year, every two months.
Offshore: three / five surveys per season for each transect.

Riverine inputs of litter entering the sea
Scope. Data collection on floating litter entering the sea.
Parameter. Within the same river, number of items (divided by category) / hour.
In order to normalize the data with other rivers, the parameter becomes: number of items (divided by category) / hour / meter 2
Method. Visual census of floating macro-litter larger than 2.5 cm to be carried out on at least half the width of the river (the observation strip) and from a height not exceeding 10 m.
Frequency.
Five monitors per season (20 monitors per year).

Seafloor litter
Scope. Data collection on spatial distribution, type and quantity of litter in the seabed and the possible impact that it can cause to benthic organisms.
Parameter. Number of items per category per ㎢
Spatial distribution of litter on the bottom.
Number of individuals of each species affected by litter.

Method. Hard bottom: using ROVs along transects of known length, georeferenced high-resolution image-data (photos / videos) will be acquired and analyzed.
Frequency.
Biennial for hard bottom.
Annual for soft bottom.

Microlitter
Scope. Evaluate the abundance and composition of microlitter, in particular microplastics, present in the surface layer of the water column.
Parameter. Number of micro particles per m2 by shape and colour.

Method. Use of a “manta net” (330 µm mesh) towed for 20 minutes along a linear path, with a speed between 1 and 2 knots.
Frequency.
Coastal waters: twice a year.
Offshore: once a year.

Marine litter ingested by Caretta caretta
Scope. Establish the quantity and composition of ingested marine litter on dead specimens of Caretta caretta analyzing the gastrointestinal contents.
Parameter. F0% =% of turtles that have ingested litter on the total number of stranded specimens.
(g) = amount of marine litter ingested in grams.

Method. The specimens of Caretta caretta are subjected to necropsy. The analysis of littering C. caretta is carried out in the laboratory immediately after the recovery of dead organisms.
Frequency.
Based on the findings of specimens stranded throughout the year.

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Specific Measures:
Yes

Brief description:

1. Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Common Implementation Strategy
   The Directive requires from Member States detailed and coordinated input. In order to facilitate this work, Member States and the European Commission have set up an informal programme of coordination, the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS).
2. UNEP-MAP Barcelona Convention: Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (EcAp) in the Mediterranean by the Contracting parties in the context of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols.
3. GESAMP Working Group on seabased sources of marine litter. The GESAMP WG 23 is headed by FAO and IMO and cosponsored by UNEP. The overall objective of WG 43 is to build a broader understanding of sea-based sources of marine litter, in particular from shipping and fishing sectors, including the relative contribution of different sources, analysis of plastic use and management within both industries and the range and extent of impacts from sea-based sources of marine litter. The Working Group will also work to build a more comprehensive understanding of specific types of sea-based sources of marine litter, and to guide interventions on these sources based on identified priorities. IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in 2021 adopted its Strategy to address marine plastic litter from ships, which sets out the ambitions to reduce marine plastic litter generated from, and retrieved by, fishing vessels; reduce shipping's contribution to marine plastic litter; and improve the effectiveness of port reception and facilities and treatment in reducing marine plastic litter.