The survival of the industrial supply chain and local communities is at risk
Acimac expresses deep concern over the decision by European institutions to reject the proposal to revise the ETS submitted by the European associations representing the ceramic sector. This decision comes at a moment of particular fragility for the entire supply chain and risks undermining the industrial and employment stability of Italian and European ceramic districts, from tile manufacturers to machinery producers.
“The rejection of the European proposal sends a very negative signal to a sector that has consistently invested, innovated, and believed in the transition,” stated Paolo Lamberti, President of Acimac. “We are now faced with an ETS system that fails to take into account the technological specificities of our processes and that risks jeopardising the very survival of the supply chain. Without swift action, Europe risks losing a strategic industrial asset, while other countries continue to grow under less stringent regulatory frameworks. We call on Italian and European institutions to strongly support the request to revise the ETS. We cannot afford to lose further industrial know‑how: every competence that leaves Europe is a piece of competitiveness that will not return.”
Concerns also extend to the territorial dimension. The Italian ceramic district is one of the country’s most important manufacturing hubs, with around 40,000 direct employees and a highly specialised supply chain. Today, it faces scenarios of delocalisation and a loss of skills that would be extremely difficult to recover. Without corrective measures to the ETS system, there is a concrete and significant risk of a reduction in the number of companies and jobs, with profound consequences for the industrial and social fabric of the affected areas.
According to Acimac, the current configuration of the European Emissions Trading System—further tightened by the measures introduced under the Fit for 55 package—is generating a disproportionate impact on energy‑intensive sectors, including ceramics and its supply chain. Rising CO₂ allowance prices and the progressive reduction of free allocations are draining resources that are essential for investment, precisely at a time when companies are required to support technological innovation and energy transition pathways. This is compounded by an extremely unstable geopolitical context, which continues to put pressure on Europe’s energy supply and slow down international markets, further aggravating the operational challenges faced by companies in the sector.
In recent years, the Italian ceramic industry has invested significantly in efficiency and sustainability. However, the growing burden of ETS costs is causing an immediate slowdown in industrial plans and weakening the competitive capacity of the entire European system, with the concrete risk of favouring non‑EU producers operating under less stringent regulatory conditions.