LCI

What LCI does

LCI Lavorazione Carta Riciclata Italiana S.r.l. is an Italian waste paper and cardboard trading company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Treviso, Italy. The company operates across two integrated service lines: Acquisto e Ritiro (collection and purchase of waste paper from suppliers) and Vendita (sale of quality-verified recycled paper to paper mills), managing a portfolio of more than 50 paper grades aligned with UNI EN 643:2014 and USA Waste Paper Grades. LCI's core customers are multinational paper manufacturers — most prominently UPM-Kymmene Oyj and Rowe GmbH (now Veolia Deutschland) — both of whom were founding commercial partners in 2007.

The company's underlying technology centers on quality monitoring rather than digital platforms: LCI employs EMCO meters for product quality measurement, batch labeling systems for transport traceability, and video monitoring installations that allow customers to remotely inspect material quality during transit. Revenue is generated through transaction margins on paper trading (priced against Camera di Commercio di Milano listino rates), managed collection services for suppliers, and increasingly through sustainability certification services via the Resily project (label waste recovery for Beverage, Food, and Care sector companies) and the European RafCycle program. Distribution is direct-sales led, with offices in Italy, Spain (Valencia, 2020), and the UK (London, 2022), supporting export volumes of 570,000 tonnes in 2023 that position LCI as Italy's leading waste paper exporter.

LCI's go-to-market emphasizes reliability during market fluctuations, quality control at every stage from procurement to distribution, and sustainability storytelling. The company invests in brand-building through community initiatives including the Aula Aquilone educational kite-building contest (reaching over 1,900 students in its first edition and 94 participating projects in its second) and the Close Loop School Recycling program (active since 2017). Compliance is anchored by Albo Gestori Ambientali registration, GDPR adherence, and D.Lgs. 231/2001 Organizational Model adoption, with ISO-aligned sustainability reporting services in development for 2026.

Name

LCI

Legal name

LCI Lavorazione Carta Riciclata Italiana S.r.l.

Website

https://lci-srl.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LCI is an Italian waste paper and cardboard trader founded in 2007, serving multinational paper mills like UPM-Kymmene and Veolia Deutschland across Italy, Spain, and the UK. The company exports 570,000 tonnes annually and operates quality-monitored collection, sales, and label-waste recovery services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycled Paper Trading

NAICS

Industrial and Personal Service Paper Merchant Wholesalers (424130), Waste Collection (56211), Packaging and Labeling Services (561910)

SIC

Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Recovered Paper Collection & Sorting (OCC, ONP, Mixed Paper) (IMAMAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Packaging Waste Services (Pallets, Cardboard, Film, IBCs/Drums—Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAD), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Waste paper trading
• Recycled paper supply
• Paper collection services
• Label waste recovery
• Circular economy solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Treviso

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Waste Paper Trading - Sales: LCI purchases and sells waste paper to paper mills and end users, maintaining over 50 different paper types. Revenue generated from margin on paper transactions, with pricing linked to Camera di Commercio di Milano listino rates.
2. Collection and Pickup Services: Consistent waste paper collection services for suppliers, including those in periods of market fluctuations. The company provides containers for efficient storage and recovery.
3. Resily Project - Sustainability Certifications: Sustainability certification services for companies participating in the circular economy project for label waste recovery. Provides certificates for ESG reporting and sustainability balance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LCI is a recovered paper trader that purchases waste paper from suppliers, applies quality verification (EMCO meter, batch labeling, video monitoring), and sells over 50 paper grades organized under UNI EN 643:2014 and USA Waste Paper Grades to multinational paper mills. The company also operates dedicated collection and pickup services for suppliers, the Resily program for self-adhesive label waste recovery (under UPM RafCycle), and the Close Loop School Recycling initiative, providing sustainability certificates and full traceability for ESG reporting.

Product overview

LCI operates as a recycled paper trading company offering a unified service portfolio centered on waste paper collection, quality processing, and sales. The core offering consists of two interconnected services: Acquisto e Ritiro (Collection & Purchase) for acquiring waste paper from suppliers, and Vendita (Sales) for distributing processed paper to paper mills. These are complemented by specialized programs: Resily for label waste recovery in partnership with Recos and UPM RafCycle, and two educational initiatives—Aula Aquilone (a kite-building contest for primary schools) and Close Loop School Recycling (school paper collection with financial incentives). The company manages a portfolio of over 50 paper types across UNI EN 643:2014 European standards and USA Waste Paper Grades, each subject to rigorous quality monitoring using EMCO meters, batch labeling, and video monitoring systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Resily: An innovative project dedicated to the recovery and enhancement of waste from the self-adhesive label supply chain, promoting circular economy in the printing industry.

Products and services

• Acquisto e Ritiro (Collection & Purchase) Waste paper collection and purchase service that gives suppliers consistent pickup even during market fluctuations, with quality selection across more than 50 paper varieties, proper packaging guidance, and provision of containers for efficient storage and recovery.
• Vendita (Sales) Sales service supplying quality-verified and graded recycled paper to paper mills and end users year-round regardless of market fluctuations, with careful selection and verification at every stage from procurement through distribution.
• Resily (Label Waste Recovery Program) Program for recovery and valorization of silicone-coated paper label backings from wineries and Beverage, Food, and Care manufacturers, with Recos handling customer contracts, collection, and logistics and LCI delivering recycling through UPM paper mills under the European RafCycle program; participants receive sustainability certificates and ESG reporting documentation.
• Close Loop School Recycling (Progetto Scuole) School paper recycling program supplying collection containers and monthly pickup to Italian primary schools, paying schools based on Camera di Commercio listino pricing and routing collected paper to UPM paper mills while issuing certificates attesting to tonnage recovered.

Quantifiable outcome

• 280,000 trees saved through RafCycle label waste recycling over 10+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RafCycle (European Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011LCI and Recos serve as collection partners for the European RafCycle program managed by UPM Raflatac. The program recovers and valorizes label waste from wineries and other companies, diverting silicone-coated paper backings from landfills to produce new paper.
• RecoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecos manages customer contracts, collection, and logistics of label waste for the Resily project. The partnership enables companies in Beverage, Food, and Care sectors to participate in label backing recovery, with Recos handling the operational logistics while LCI manages the recycling process through paper mills.
• UPM-Kymmene OyjcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor multinational paper manufacturer and founding commercial partner of LCI. UPM paper mills receive waste paper from LCI's collection operations, including materials from the Close Loop School Recycling project. The partnership involves producing new paper from recycled fibers.
• Rowe GmbH (now Veolia Deutschland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultinational client whose commercial needs led to LCI's founding in 2007. Acquired by Veolia Deutschland in 2024, continuing the relationship with LCI.
• Festival Internazionale degli Aquiloni di Cervia (Artevento)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with the organizers of the International Kite Festival of Cervia to bring additional value to the Aula Aquilone contest, strengthening the link between kites, sustainability, and environment.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RDM Group (Reno de Medici): Italian recycled paperboard mill group that consumes large volumes of recovered fiber sourced from traders like LCI. Direct demand-side peer operating in LCI's home market and setting Italian recovered-paper pricing dynamics.
• Heinzel Group: Austria-based recovered paper, pulp, and paper trader with pan-European operations. Closest direct peer to LCI given its matching merchant role buying, sorting, and selling recycled fiber to paper mills across multiple countries.
• Cartiere Burgo: Major Italian producer of coated and specialty papers using substantial recovered fiber. Comparable as a major Italian buyer of recycled paper, with overlapping supply and quality-control dynamics with LCI's operations.

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso: Nordic renewable packaging and biomaterials producer sourcing significant recovered fiber in Europe. Comparable as a large-scale buyer of waste paper in LCI's served geographies.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery: International environmental services group active in paper and cardboard recycling across Europe. Comparable as a recovered-paper buyer/processor for paper mills, though it operates across a much broader waste services portfolio.
• DS Smith: UK-based global paper-based packaging and recycling group with significant European recovered-paper procurement. Comparable as a buyer of recycled fiber and operator of circular-economy services across Europe.
• Smurfit Kappa: Global paper-based packaging leader with integrated recovered-paper collection in Europe. Comparable in scale and circular-economy positioning but vertically integrated, unlike LCI's pure trading model.
• Mondi Group: European paper and packaging major with substantial recycled-fiber consumption. Comparable end-market and demand-side dynamics, though it is a producer rather than a recovered-paper trader.
• Veolia Environnement: Global waste management and resource recovery major; owns Veolia Deutschland (formerly Rowe GmbH), a long-standing LCI customer. Comparable in recovered-paper handling and end-markets but operates at a vastly larger scale across the full waste services stack.

Others

• UPM-Kymmene Oyj: Finnish paper and biomaterials major and a founding LCI client. Not a direct competitor but a strategic counterpart in the recovered-paper value chain, also partner in the RafCycle/Resily circular-economy programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LCILavorazioneCartaRiciclataItaliana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lci-srl

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LCI