35 years of history dedicated to the future of recycling.

Comieco is the National Consortium for the Recovery and Recycling of Cellulose-based Packaging. Its purpose is the recycling and recovery of packaging of cellulosic origin.

Comieco does not produce boxes and cartons, but its Consortium Members do, who by statute can affix the Consortium's trademark on their packaging, as evidence of the environmental responsibility assumed towards the goods and packaging produced and placed.

Who we are

Comieco is the national consortium for the recovery and recycling of cellulose-based packaging, and brings together paper mills, producers, processors and importers of paper and cardboard for packaging. It was established in 1985 as a private body by the will of a group of companies in the paper sector interested in promoting the concept of "ecological packaging". Since 1997 it has become a national consortium for the recycling of this type of material, in compliance with Legislative Decree no. lgs. 22/97, subsequently d.lgs. 152/06. It is part of the Conai system.

The Consortium members of Comieco are producers, importers and transformers of cellulosic material and packaging, recoverers can also join. The Consortium stipulates conventions with local administrations for separate waste collection, and through these subjects it voluntarily manages, in agreement with CONAI, the system of collection and recycling of paper and cardboard waste from municipal collection.

To date, Comieco, as a consortium, brings together about 3,330 companies including paper mills, transformers of cellulosic material and packaging and recovery plants.

Comieco is also committed to activities ranging from prevention, through the support of studies aimed at the creation of sustainable packaging, to the promotion of separate waste collection through communication activities and other initiatives aimed at raising public awareness on respect the environment and the importance of correct separate collection.

Who is Comieco?

Comieco is the National Consortium for the Recovery and Recycling of Cellulose-based Packaging. Its members are mainly: paper manufacturers, importers of paper and board packaging, recycling companies. The Consortium manages voluntarily every stage of the process that recovers and recycles paper and board collected as a whole and not only packaging waste. In order to manage the collection and the recycling, Comieco signs agreements with the local authorities and collectors.

Comieco was founded in 1985 as a voluntary association of paper manufacturing companies sharing an ethical environmental code. In 1997 – in complain with the Italian law (D.Lgs. n. 22/97modified by D.Lgs. n. 152/06) – Comieco became the National Consortium for the Recovery and Recycling of Cellulose-based Packaging.

The Comieco headquarters are based in Milan and the Comieco branch is in Rome. In 2011, Comieco started internet-based tenders to recycle mixed paper and cartonboard. Paper mills, paper recovery plants and traders are allowed to participate, after an approval procedure