The Italian market for sintered expanded polystyrene (EPS) confirms the stabilisation phase that began in 2024, when consumption reached 120,000 tonnes, marking a return to pre-superbonus and pre-Covid levels. Now, at the end of 2025, the sector looks ahead with confidence, supported by European policies on energy efficiency and material recyclability.
According to data released by AIPE (Italian Expanded Polystyrene Association), the main application sectors – construction and packaging – maintain solid volumes. In construction, EPS use has stabilised around 68,000 tonnes, employed mainly in thermal cladding, radiant systems and lightweight solutions for sustainable construction. In the packaging sector, with almost 49,000 tonnes, the material confirms its centrality in key areas such as food, fishing and pharmaceuticals, thanks to unique performance in terms of protection, hygiene and insulation.
"2025 marks the normalisation of the market after the rush linked to construction incentives, but also the start of a more mature and sustainable phase," explained Giuseppe Rinaldi, President of AIPE. "Prospects remain positive. In construction, the EPBD IV 'Green Homes' Directive imposes a shift towards energy efficiency: rapid and coherent transposition is urgent, and a stable regulatory framework is necessary to plan investments and interventions useful for energy requalification of the national building heritage in a sustainable and balanced way. In packaging, the new PPWR Regulation represents a concrete opportunity for our sector to valorise EPS recyclability and the use of post-consumer recycled material. The resilience of expanded polystyrene represents a further strength of the sector: facts demonstrate that this material continues to be irreplaceable, despite repeated substitution attempts driven by ideological prejudices rather than objective data. Its technical, environmental and economic performance confirms its competitiveness and effectiveness in main applications daily".
On the recycling front, the Italian supply chain shows tangible progress. In 2024, Corepla's PEPS Platforms for EPS packaging recycling, which include some AIPE member companies specialising in EPS packaging recovery, handled 11,500 tonnes of material, up 11.6% compared to 2023. Considering also other non-domestic flows, AIPE estimates that the total doubles, thus reaching over 22,000 tonnes sent for recycling.
Among the most virtuous experiences stands the collaboration between AIPE and Milan Fish Market, where since 2022 over 200 tonnes per year of EPS boxes are recovered and recycled, practically all those used. The association also participates in the RecoTrace system, Eumeps' European platform that monitors EPS recycling data at continental level.
