RICREA, the National Consortium for the Recycling and Recovery of Steel Packaging, was established in 1997 as a private, not-for-profit legal entity, within the framework of the environmental legislation known as the Ronchi Decree. It is one of the seven supply chain consortia that make up the CONAI (National Packaging Consortium) System in Italy.
Producers of the raw material and of steel containers are part of the Consortium, as are steel recyclers. Currently there are 317 member companies in all.
RICREA performs its institutional function by encouraging, promoting and facilitating the collection and recycling of used steel packaging. Used packaging comes both from the collection of waste separated by citizens (public area) and from ad hoc collections made in companies, shops and production activities (private area).
The Consortium also has the important task of teaching citizens to recognise steel containers and raise awareness of the need to properly separate them for separate waste collection, the first important step on the path to recycling.
The Consortium works with numerous subjects, such as the managers of separate waste collection, i.e. Municipalities, Consortia of Municipalities, Municipal companies, private managers (RICREA Network) and the ASSOFERMET (National Association of Ferrous Scrap Dealers) and FIRI (Italian Federation of Packaging Regenerators) associations, which form a capillary network of companies specialised in the recovery of steel packaging waste.
In its 25 years of activity, the RICREA Consortium has recycled ever increasing percentages of steel packaging, which have allowed it, starting from 2002 and every year after that, to abundantly exceed the 50% threshold set by Italian Legislative Decree no. 22 of 1997.
With the adoption of Directive (EU) 2018/852, RICREA has already reached and exceeded the 2025 target (set at 70%).
In 2022, as much 72% of steel packaging released for use in Italy was collected for recycling, which means that for every 100 cans, spray cans, tins, buckets or steel lids produced and used in Italy, 72 were sent to recycling facilities by the RICREA Consortium, guaranteeing their “rebirth” in the form of beams and rods for the building industry, spanners, bolts, nails, iron gates, benches, bicycle frames, and so on.
Discover the figures of the Consortium.