Comieco
Comieco is the National Consortium for Paper and Board Packaging Recovery and Recycling.
The main purpose of the Consortium is to meet the recovery and recycling targets set by the European rules – i.e. a minimum 60% recycling rate for paper and board by 2008 – through a strong policy for prevention and development of separate paper and board packaging collection. Comieco, upon agreement with CONAI (the National Packaging Consortium) operates the collection, recycling, and recovery system.
Comieco, established in 1985 out of the initiative of a small group of companies in the paper sector wishing to promote the concept of “ecological packaging,” was incorporated as a Consortium on October 24, 1997 – according to the provisions of art. 40 of Legislative Decree No. 22/97 as amended with Legislative Decree No. 152/06.
COMIECO NUMBERS (reference year:2011)
MEMBERS
Comieco has approximately 3,400 members, including packaging paper and board manufacturers and importers, processors, packaging importers, and recovered paper processing plants.
PACKAGING
Apparent paper and board packaging consumption: 4.4 million t.
Recycled paper and board packaging: 3.4 million t.
Estimated paper and board packaging consumption in Italy: 74 kg/inhab/year
RECYCLING AND RECOVERY
Targets met by Comieco: Recovery: 87.6% Recycling: 79.5%
SEPARATE COLLECTION
Separate paper and board collection in Italy: over 3 million t.
Each Italian citizen collected separately approximately 50.6 kg of paper and board through the household collection system.
Total recovered paper collection in Italy (from households and industries): 6.3 million t, i.e. 100 kg/inhab/year.
INDUSTRIAL USE OF RECOVERED PAPER
Recovered paper consumption in Italian paper mills: over 5 million t for a 55% usage rate.
