In 2023, Europe witnessed a significant decline in consumption due to the persistent geopolitical crisis and inflation. A similar context also had a negative impact onItalian glass industry, which recorded a negative figure in every production sector: -5,3% for hollow glass, -7,7% for the flat one and -21% for the fibers.
The prospects for 2024 show timid signs of recovery, supported by the reduction in interest rates and the encouraging outcome of the first quarter, thanks to the growth in exports of Italian glass-related products, such as wine (+3,1%) and prosecco (+7,8%).
The greatest criticality remains linked to energy cost which complicates the energy transition process and threatens the competitiveness of the sector.
Incentives to ensure competitiveness and sustainability
The scenario that emerged duringAnnual meeting of Assovetro it promoted an important reflection on the emergencies and challenges of a crucial sector for the national economy, which has a total of 29.000 workers and an overall turnover close to 9,7 billion euros.
Marco Ravasi, President of Assovetro, highlighted the penalization suffered by the Italian industry due to the cost of electricity, which is much higher than that of other competing countries such as France, Germany and Spain, and highlighted the urgency of incentives and benefits from the Government to support the sector's efforts.
The crucial role of energy
The immediate critical issues concern the high costs, which reduce the competitiveness of the glass industry (with gas prices doubling compared to 2021), while in the long term the challenges are connected to the need to access energy carriers with net zero emissions or technologies carbon capture at competitive prices.
On the electricity front, the price disparity between the various European Union countries weighs on Italian glass production. This competition between Member States could cause a significant downsizing of the national production system, especially considering that electrification is one of the main levers for decarbonization.
Strategies for the future
According to Ravasi's analysis, Italy is called to invest decisively in renewables, in the production and distribution of green gases and in CO2 capture technologies for the decarbonisation of the electricity sector and hard-to-abate industries, provided that at the same time a solution is found on the unresolved issue of energy transport infrastructure.
Source: finance.repubblica.it