FederlegnoArredo participated in Ecomondo 2025, the international reference event for the green and circular economy, confirming the commitment of the wood-furniture supply chain to ever greater circularity and sustainability of processes and products. Four days of talks and meetings dedicated to the main environmental and regulatory issues affecting the wood-furniture sector. Indeed, 2025 represents a crucial year for the sector, with the entry into force of regulations such as the PPWR on packaging, the EUDR on deforestation, whose contours are not yet well defined, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Wood packaging at the center of the circular transition 

A moment of discussion among experts, institutions and operators of the wood packaging supply chain, the conference organized by Assoimballaggi of FederlegnoArredo focused on the implications related to the new PPWR regulation and on how to protect and enhance the sector.

The text, currently being defined in Brussels and due to enter into force in 2026, introduces new criteria and targets on reuse and recyclability. Assoimballaggi highlighted the need for these targets to recognize the specificity of the wood sector, which already operates according to an established circular model: discarded packaging is in fact transformed into raw material for the production of particleboard panels destined for furniture, concretely contributing to waste reduction and resource use efficiency. 

The Assoimballaggi group of FederlegnoArredo at Ecomondo 2025

“Wood is already part of a fully functioning circular model,” emphasized the president of Assoimballaggi, Andrea Gava – “but we need regulation that values this reality, avoiding criteria that risk penalizing a sustainable and established supply chain”. He then concluded: “With the adoption of future delegated acts, we will continue to work to ensure that recyclability and reuse criteria reflect the sector's productive and environmental reality, highlighting its positive contribution to sustainability.”

EUDR: from noble goal to nightmare for companies

Another very topical issue addressed at Ecomondo and a source of great concern for companies in the sector was the EUDR regulation on deforestation. On the occasion of the talk "Ecological transition, forests and agro-industrial supply chains: the implementation of the deforestation regulation (EUDR)", organized by Confagricoltura, the president of FederlegnoArredo Claudio Feltrin sounded the alarm, stressing that "The regulation against deforestation could have been a noble goal on the path to sustainability but it is turning into a real nightmare that will put our supply chain in great difficulty.”

In this regard FederlegnoArredo expressed full support for the position taken by the main European Federations of the wood-furniture supply chain in the open statement, regarding the recent amendments proposed by the European Commission to the EU Regulation on deforestation (EUDR), sharing the request to introduce a “suspension” (“stop the clock”) mechanism that allows for a thorough review of the Regulation, simplifying obligations and making them truly implementable for all companies.

FederlegnoArredo: commitment to EPR

In a European context where EPR systems (Extended Producer Responsibility) are being developed across an increasing number of sectors, and where ecodesign is increasingly at the heart of industrial strategies, the wood-furniture companies associated with FederlegnoArredo have chosen to anticipate the change. These topics were discussed during the conference "Furniture and furnishing products from the EPR perspective. New scenarios and the Italian project", organized in collaboration with the Ecomondo Scientific Technical Committee and Reteambiente. An overview of the innovations and actions underway, through assessments and testimonies from the competent institutions and qualified speakers driving the new system. 

At Ecomondo the idea behind the Riqualta project was presented, the consortium for quality reuse and recycling in the furniture system, which has been a reality for a year now. "A great opportunity to design the future, a major paradigm shift in thinking about how to be increasingly sustainable, not only in products but also in processes” - stated FederlegnoArredo president, Claudio Feltrin.

All photos Courtesy FederlegnoArredo | PH. F. Rucci