Focus on the PNRR: funding for 54 of the 75 planned facilities

The circular economy flagship projects for plastic recycling financed under the PNRR (Intervention Line 1.2 c) envisage the construction of 75 new treatment plants, to strengthen waste management from a circular economy perspective, with funding of approximately 262 million (Mase departmental decree of 28 April 2023).

These projects promote mechanical and chemical recycling, including of marine plastics , and the creation of Plastic Hubs for the development of high value-added goods and industrial symbiosis.

According to data compiled by the Openpolis Foundation, based on figures from the government portal Italia Domani , updated as of June 30, 2025, 54 projects have been launched. They are distributed unevenly across the regions, with a high concentration in Lombardy, Sicily, Campania, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. The top five regions in terms of project numbers are Lombardy (ten), Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont (eight each), Lazio (seven), and Puglia (five). In Lombardy, the project by Lucart Spa stands out (over €4.36 million in NRRP funding). Seventeen projects are planned in the South and on the islands, including four in Puglia and Campania, two in Sardinia and Abruzzo, and one each in Molise, Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily.

Three beneficiaries have received 100% of the NRRP funds : Priamus Ecologica (Abruzzo), Seruso Spa (Lombardy), and Gobbo Stefano & C. Srl (Veneto). Two other beneficiaries in Piedmont have received more than 90% of the funding. Seventeen facilities have received more than 50% of the funds.

The overall NRRP 1.2 investment objective, which also includes paper and cardboard, WEEE, and textile waste recycling plants , envisions 167 projects financed with €600 million in NRRP funds (plus additional funding from other sources), with an expected completion date in the second quarter of 2026. As of March 31, 2025, approximately €102 million (17.11%) has been spent. According to data from Openpolis' OpenPNRR platform, NRRP funding for the 54 plastic recycling projects amounts to approximately €202 million.