Italy pushes circular economy with new repair law and rare‑earth recycling plant

Italy is transposing the EU Right‑to‑Repair directive (2024/1799) into its Consumer Code. The draft law, approved by the Council of Ministers, obliges manufacturers to make spare parts and repair information available, set reasonable prices, and provide a free EU‑standard repair information sheet to consumers. It also creates an online European repair platform and introduces penalties of €5,000‑€50,000 for non‑compliance.

In parallel, Italy will host Europe’s first industrial plant dedicated to extracting rare‑earth metals from electronic waste. The INSPIREE facility in Ceccano, run by Itelyum Regeneration and co‑funded by the EU, will use robotic disassembly and hydrometallurgical processing to recover critical materials, aiming to reduce reliance on Chinese supplies and meet the EU’s target of sourcing 25% of critical raw materials domestically by 2030.

Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin highlighted circular‑economy initiatives as a growth opportunity for Italy, noting more than €2 billion from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for new and upgraded waste‑treatment plants, and stressing the need to support recycled‑plastic markets against competition from virgin imports.