Factsheet: Italian Bioeconomy

Italy’s bioeconomy spans agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food & beverages, paper/pulp, textiles (natural fibers), leather, biopharma, green chemistry, biochemicals and bioenergy, generating ~€330 billion turnover and ~2 million jobs. In 2015, deployed biomass totalled ~121.7 Mt (≈50% imported), used mainly for food & feed (~61.6 Mt); losses account for >30% (~39.4 Mt), with bioenergy (~19.6 Mt; ~15%)—largely domestic wood heating—and biomaterials (~11.1 Mt; ~8%). Agriculture’s 2020 turnover reached €55.7 bn (crops €29.5 bn, livestock €16 bn, secondary activities €16 bn) with ~2.76 million workers. Forests cover ~36% (~11 Mha); forestry turnover €4.4 bn, employment ~0.4 million, producing ~5 Mt fuelwood and ~1.5 Mm³ timber annually. Fisheries & aquaculture delivered ~0.3 Mt in 2018 worth €2 bn (~68% fishery/32% aquaculture) and ~36k jobs. In 2020, bioenergy produced ~1.7 Mtoe electricity (16.8% of renewable power) and ~6.6 Mtoe heat (69% of renewable heat). Biobased industry is nascent, led by biodegradable/compostable packaging and mulch films, with ~€1 bn turnover and ~3,000 jobs in 2021, growing strongly.