What Consorzio Rilegno does

Consorzio Rilegno is the Italian national consortium (consorzio) responsible for the collection, recovery, and recycling of wooden packaging, operating under Extended Producer Responsibility obligations established by Italian environmental legislation D. Lgs. 152/2006. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Cesenatico with a secondary office in Milan, Rilegno coordinates a nationwide supply chain that includes consorziati (producer and user member companies), municipalities providing collection points, piattaforme (collection platforms), rigeneratori (regenerators that repair wooden packaging for reuse), and riciclatori (recyclers that transform end-of-life wood into new raw materials such as chipboard panels, MDF panels, wood-cement blocks, pallet blocks, and chemo-mechanical pulp). The consortium also manages composting and energy recovery for residual wood waste. By 2025 the system handled 1,783,952 tonnes of wood, achieving an Italian recovery rate exceeding 60% — more than double the 30% target the EU has set for 2030.

The consortium's core technology is operational rather than digital: a national logistics and reverse-supply-chain system that routes post-consumer wooden packaging (pallets, industrial packaging, cable reels, cork stoppers, food packaging) from collection points through sorting, regeneration, and final recycling into industrial inputs. The organization runs the We Are Walden community platform, the annual Walden magazine, the Rilegno Academy training program (launched September 2025 at Politecnico di Milano's Cascina Nosedo facility), the Caravelle educational project for schools, and the Rilegno-Master Wood design competition at Triennale Milano. Nicola Semeraro serves as President.

Rilegno's revenue model is built on mandatory consortium contributions paid by obligated producers and users of wooden packaging under Italian EPR law. As a cooperative entity it does not pursue external fundraising, has no parent company, and does not publicly disclose revenue. Per a Politecnico di Milano study, the broader wood recovery and recycling supply chain it coordinates generates approximately EUR 1.4 billion in economic impact, supports nearly 6,000 jobs, and saves nearly 1 million tonnes of CO2 annually — figures the consortium uses to substantiate its regulatory and public-policy position.

Name

Consorzio Rilegno

Legal name

Rilegno, Consorzio Nazionale per la raccolta, il recupero e il riciclaggio degli imballaggi di legno

Website

https://rilegno.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Consorzio Rilegno is the Italian national consortium that coordinates the collection, recovery, and recycling of wooden packaging under EPR law (D. Lgs. 152/2006), serving obligated producers, municipalities, regenerators, and recyclers across Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Packaging Recovery and Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Paper Manufacturing (322)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reusable Packaging & Refill Systems (Returnable Transport Items, Deposit/DRS Ops) (EUAIANAE), Industrial Packaging Waste Services (Pallets, Cardboard, Film, IBCs/Drums—Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAD), Reusable & Refill Packaging Systems (Returnable Packaging, Refill-at-Home/In-Store) (IMALAMAE), Recyclables Transfer & Consolidation (Single/Source-Separated) (BPALABAD), Supply Chain & Product Environmental Compliance (RoHS, WEEE, Packaging EPR, Eco-Design/Labeling Regulations) (EUAHABAJ), Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

Keywords

• Wood packaging recycling
• Circular economy services
• Producer responsibility compliance
• Wood recovery consortium
• Industrial waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Cesenatico

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consortium Contributions: Mandatory contributions from consortium members (consorziati) who are producers and users of wooden packaging, regulated under Italian environmental law D. Lgs. 152/2006. Members pay consortium fees to fund collection, recovery, and recycling operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Consorzio Rilegno is the Italian national consortium that coordinates the collection, recovery, and recycling of wooden packaging (pallets, industrial packaging, cable reels, cork stoppers, food packaging) under Extended Producer Responsibility obligations established by Italian environmental legislation D. Lgs. 152/2006. Its operational scope spans the full circular chain — from municipal and business collection, through regeneration of used packaging, to recycling into raw materials (chipboard, MDF, wood-cement blocks, pallet blocks, chemo-mechanical pulp), composting, and energy recovery — and is rounded out with community and educational programs such as We Are Walden, Rilegno Academy, the Caravelle school project, and the annual Walden Magazine.

Product overview

Consorzio Rilegno is a national consortium managing the collection, recovery, and recycling of wooden packaging in Italy, operating a comprehensive circular economy model. The organization's offerings include recycled wood products (chipboard panels, MDF panels, wood-cement blocks, pallet blocks, chemo-mechanical pulp), organic processing (composting), and energy recovery services. Their packaging portfolio encompasses pallets, industrial packaging, cable reels, cork stoppers, and food packaging. The consortium also operates community and educational platforms including We Are Walden (a member community platform) and Caravelle verso un Mondo Nuovo (a national educational project), and publishes the annual Walden Magazine on sustainability and circular economy topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Walden: Annual magazine of Rilegno dedicated to the culture and practice of sustainability and circular economy. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau's Walden, it presents diverse perspectives on environmental and circular economy topics.
• We Are Walden
• Caravelle verso un Mondo Nuovo
• Rilegno Academy
• Rilegno-Master Wood

Products and services

• Wooden Packaging Collection Service National collection and sorting service that gathers post-consumer wooden packaging (pallets, industrial packaging, cable reels, cork stoppers, food packaging) from municipalities, drop-off points, and businesses, routing it to regeneration or recycling streams.
• Wooden Packaging Regeneration Service Repair and reuse service operated through affiliated regenerators that extend the lifecycle of used wooden pallets and industrial packaging before end-of-life recycling, including pallet block production.
• Wood Recycling Service Recycling service that transforms end-of-life collected wood into manufacturing-grade raw materials including chipboard panels, MDF panels, wood-cement blocks, pallet blocks, and chemi-mechanical pulp for downstream industries.
• Composting Service Organic processing service for organic wood waste components, converting them into usable soil amendment products as part of the consortium's recovery chain.
• Energy Recovery Service Energy recovery service that processes wood waste unsuitable for recycling, generating renewable energy through combustion as the final step in the recovery chain.
• Rilegno Academy Training Program Education and training program by Rilegno dedicated to wood, sustainability, and circular economy, combining theoretical sessions with practical components for professionals and students.
• Caravelle verso un Mondo Nuovo Educational Project National educational and experimental project developed with schools across Italy to promote Sustainable and Transformative Education, producing a Manifesto for Sustainable Education and connecting schools through transformation stories focused on sustainability.
• We Are Walden Community Platform Community-based digital platform managed by Rilegno that engages consortium members, municipalities, collection platforms, regenerators, and recyclers around wood recycling and circular-economy awareness.
• Walden Magazine (Rivista Walden) Annual magazine published by Rilegno on sustainability and circular-economy culture, featuring expert interviews, sector analyses, and stakeholder perspectives.
• Rilegno-Master Wood Design Competition Annual design competition promoted by Rilegno that challenges young designers to create furniture (e.g., stools) from recycled wood, presented at major Italian design venues such as Triennale Milano.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,783,952 tonnes of wood recovered and recycled in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Politecnico di MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for analysis of the wood circular economy system. The Politecnico di Milano conducted research 'Il sistema circolare della filiera legno per una nuova economia' under the guidance of Giovanni Azzone, analyzing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of Italy's wood packaging recovery system.
• FederlegnoArredocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of the 'The Future, Today' conference and ongoing collaboration in the wood and furniture sector. FederlegnoArredo represents the Italian wood and furniture industry, providing strategic alignment with downstream manufacturing industries.
• Francesco FaccinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with designer Francesco Faccin for the Rilegno-MasterWood design competition, promoting design and craftsmanship with recycled wood.
• Caffè DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organization of Rilegno-MasterWood design competition with Caffè Design, promoting the use of recycled wood in design projects.
• Politecnico di Milano (Cascina Nosedou200b)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRilegno Academy sessions held at Cascina Nosedou200bdou200b (Milano), a Politecnico di Milano off-campus facility, for the educational program's theoretical and practical sessions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CiAl: Italian national consortium for aluminum packaging recovery and recycling under CONAI. Operates the same EPR-driven take-back model as Rilegno across Italian municipalities and downstream recyclers.
• Corepla: Italian national consortium for the collection, recovery, and recycling of plastic packaging under CONAI. Same consortium model, regulatory framework, and operational tiers as Rilegno, applied to plastic packaging.
• Comieco: Italian national consortium for the recovery and recycling of cellulose-based (paper and cardboard) packaging under CONAI. Closely analogous structure and EPR mandate to Rilegno for a different packaging material stream.
• CONAI: Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi is the umbrella Italian packaging consortium under which Rilegno operates alongside other material-specific consortia. Directly comparable as a national EPR collective for packaging waste.
• Ricrea: Italian national consortium for the recovery and recycling of steel packaging under CONAI. Same EPR structure, mandatory membership, and producer-responsibility framework as Rilegno for a different metal packaging stream.
• EPAL (European Pallet Association): European association managing the EPAL pallet license and quality standard. Highly relevant to Rilegno because pallets are the largest single wood-packaging stream in its recovery system.
• Biorepack: Italian consortium for biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging under CONAI. Shares Rilegno's mandated EPR structure and circular-economy coordination role, focused on compostable packaging recovery.

Broad incumbents

• CHEP: Global pallet and container pooling leader. Comparable because it operates a large-scale reusable wooden pallet system overlapping with the same pallet-pool and pallet-recovery category Rilegno manages for end-of-life.

Regional players

• Eco-Emballages (Citeo): French packaging EPR organization. Comparable as a national packaging-recovery PRO with a similar contribution-fee model, but France-based and broader in material scope than Rilegno.
• Fost Plus: Belgian EPR organization for household packaging recovery. Structurally comparable to Rilegno as a packaging PRO, but operates in Belgium rather than Italy and across multiple packaging materials.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VideoRilegno?feature=watch
• Facebookfacebook.com/rilegno
• LinkedInit.linkedin.com/company/rilegno
• Instagraminstagram.com/rilegno

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 Consorzio Rilegno