Five years is more than just a milestone. It is the amount of time needed to test an idea and demonstrate its ability to create shared value by addressing the complexities of reality. Erion reached this milestone in 2025, having become one of the key players in the transition towards a more sustainable and circular development model for our country in just a few years.
This edition of the Sustainability Report features a graphic design that directly reflects this identity, visually conveying the principle that the value of each Collective Scheme strengthens the Erion System, which in turn generates value for each of its components. This is a dynamic balance, with each element contributing to a broader, more coherent structure. Every goal we achieve leaves its mark, and it is the sum of all these marks that determines our value.
Over the years, growth has not just been about volume or results. Above all, it has been about building a foundation of relationships, skills, and responsibilities. It is a network that has successfully connected businesses, institutions, operators, citizens and educational communities. It is within this network of trust and collaboration that the Erion System has evolved into a catalyst for change.
This evolution is clearly illustrated by the fact that the Erion System collected a total of 289,292 tonnes of waste in 2025 – an 8% increase on the previous year. Specifically, our Collective Schemes managed 247,124 tonnes of Household WEEE, 4,040 tonnes of Professional WEEE, 5,345 tonnes of Waste Batteries and 32,783 tonnes of Packaging Waste. Of this total, 30,810 tonnes were recycled, marking a 58% increase compared to 2024.
Overall, the recycling of Household WEEE, Waste Batteries and Packaging Waste has enabled 89% of the materials derived from the treated waste to be returned to the production cycle. This equates to the weight of 561 high-speed trains. Furthermore, 980,000 tCO₂e were avoided during the year, which is equivalent to the emissions produced by a car circling the equator around 136,000 times. 349 million kWh of energy were saved, equivalent to the annual consumption of around 129,000 Italian households. Additionally, 1.7 million cubic metres of water were saved – enough to supply around 11,000 households.
This impact is even more significant in an ever-changing regulatory environment characterized by the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility regimes for Textile products under Directive (EU) 2025/1892 and tighter European regulations on Batteries and Packaging. Against this backdrop, Erion has continued to play an active role in institutional dialogue, making concrete contributions to debates on key issues relating to WEEE, Batteries, Packaging, Cigarette butts and Textiles. The prerequisite remains unchanged: an effective ecological transition requires rules, innovation and collective engagement.
As part of this process, the System’s Collective Schemes have acted as complementary pillars of the same mission.
Erion WEEE has strengthened its cultural and social presence in the field of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment by facilitating and integrating the collection process into daily life through various initiatives. These include ‘WEEEGoal’, ‘Small WEEE, Big Coop’, ‘We’re sick and tired of WEEE’, ‘WEEE4Comics’, ‘Materia Viva Experience’, ‘Make your move’ and the ‘If you don’t give a damn, you’re screwed’ campaign. The Collective Scheme has also collaborated with prominent figures from the associative and journalistic sectors. The programme was further enhanced by the ‘Art for a sustainable future’ event, which was held at the Chiostri di San Barnaba in Milan to celebrate Michelangelo Pistoletto’s installation, ‘I temp(l)i cambiano’.
Erion Professional has optimized the management of Professional WEEE by engaging in structured dialogue with businesses and stakeholders, and by providing training and consultancy services throughout the entire process and across the entire value chain. In 2025, the Collective Scheme played a leading role at ‘Ecomondo’, the international trade fair, holding meetings and in-depth sessions, including ‘Managing Professional WEEE: the challenge and value of the waste chain’. The Exceed service advertising campaign was also featured in numerous industry magazines.
Erion Energy has continued to consolidate its position in the Battery sector against a backdrop of rising volumes and increasingly complex flows, particularly for lithium Batteries, and strengthened its control over the operational waste chain by bringing logistics in-house and reviewing its suppliers against stricter technical and environmental criteria. The Collective Scheme has also introduced more precise volume planning systems and contributed to working groups on the European Battery Regulation at the CDCNPA (National Coordination Centre for Batteries and Accumulators).
Erion Packaging has strengthened its dialogue with institutions and stakeholders across the waste chain. This has enabled the Collective Scheme to expand its membership base and support businesses within the evolving European regulatory framework for packaging. In 2025, it organized training and information initiatives, helped improve the waste chain and facilitated discussions at Ecomondo and within the manufacturing sector.
Erion Care has maintained a strong focus on reducing cigarette butt litter through national campaigns, local initiatives, and social media campaigns featuring popular content creators. In 2025, it continued its collaboration with Legambiente by organising the Care Action Days. It also took part in the ‘Puliamo il Mondo’’ project.
Erion Textiles continued its journey through a pre-operational phase, focusing on analysis, research, and institutional dialogue. The Collective Scheme contributed to the development of the future EPR system by taking part in studies on consumption and disposal behaviours, product-specific analyses, opinion polls and regional pilot schemes.
In addition to the industrial and environmental aspects, 2025 also saw confirmation of the organization’s internal growth. The 66 people currently comprising the Erion System – 46 of whom are women – represent the project’s operational and cultural core, having collectively received 1,194 hours of training.
This is the true value of Erion’s work, which, as will become clear from the following pages, is measured not only by the results achieved or projects completed, but also by its ability to build a professional and civic community over the years that shares a common vision. This is a community that has supported this evolution, helping to turn an ambitious project into a reality with the capacity to have a tangible impact on the country’s economy.
Five years on, the direction remains the same: to achieve sustainable development, we need to manage our resources responsibly, turn waste into new opportunities and adopt an economic model that successfully combines circularity, innovation, environmental protection and collective responsibility.
We will continue along this path, building on our existing achievements and focusing on what we can still make possible.
