Wooden packaging

Final figures for various categories of wood packaging:  pallets, industrial packaging, crates and corks. Source: Packaging in Figures, 2024. 

Barbara Iascone

Wooden packaging is one of the oldest forms of containers used for transporting and storing goods. As early as Roman times, wood was used to make crates, barrels and chests for storing and transporting foodstuffs. During the Middle Ages, the use of wood packaging developed further, driven by the growth of long-distance trade. Wooden barrels became essential for transporting goods by ship and wagon.

Snapshot of an industry

Bringing the focus back to the present, the final figures from the 2024 issue of “Packaging in Figures” (the annual economic and statistical report published by the Italian Packaging Institute), indicate that in 2023, the wood packaging industry accounted for 17% of Italy’s total packaging production by weight and 3.3% of total turnover for the sector. 
According to the classification adopted, the segment includes pallets, industrial packaging, wooden crates and cork stoppers.
Pallets dominate the sector with a 76.1% share, followed by industrial packaging at 17.3%. Together, these two categories account for 93.4% of total wood packaging production and are used almost exclusively in transport and logistics. This makes them particularly sensitive, even more so than other types of packaging, to trends in the manufacturing industry as a whole. 
The remaining shares are held by fruit and vegetable crates (4.5%) and cork stoppers (2.2%).
In light of growing interest in the European packaging regulation, the concept of reusable packaging has become increasingly relevant, particularly in relation to wood packaging, which plays a central role in this area. According to data compiled by the Italian Packaging Institute, 84% of reusable packaging in Italy is used for transport, and of this, 65% is made of wood.

Figures, trends and sectors of use

(Source: Italian Packaging Institute - based on the analysis of ISTAT data)

The data presented in this article begin with the analysis of the final figures for 2023 and continue with preliminary assessments for 2024, which were still under review at the time of these assessments.
Following a clearly negative year in 2023 - when production fell by 3% and imports and exports dropped by 5.8% and 16.1% respectively - the outlook for 2024 points to a recovery in the sector.
Initial estimates for 2024 indicate an upward trend in the sector, particularly in terms of volume, rather than turnover, which grew by just 0.1%.
In fact, production volumes are forecast to rise by 5%, reaching approximately 3,056 thousand tonnes. Both exports and imports saw growth in 2024, increasing by 5.4% and 2.7%, respectively. In general, foreign trade remains limited in scale compared to production and consumption: exports account for 6.7% of production, while imports account for 18.2% of consumption.
Pallets continued to play a key role in shaping production trends, accounting for 75.8%, and recording a 4% increase in 2024. However, industrial packaging also contributed positively, recording a growth of 12.5%. 
As for commodity prices, following the decline in 2023, price levels in 2024 remained relatively stable, with a temporary drop during the summer months, followed by a recovery in the final quarter of the year.

Pallets. According to the analysis of the Italian Packaging Institute's data, 46.9% of pallets are used in the food sector, with the share almost evenly divided between beverages and liquid food (23.3%) and food products (23.6%). 
A further 24.9% is allocated to non-food consumer goods (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, household cleaning products, etc.), while the remaining 28.3% is allocated to the general non-food sector, with 2.2% used in the chemical sector.

Industrial packaging. This category mainly includes custom-made crates, large reels for electric cables, wine cases, large boxes, etc. Production of industrial wood packaging is expected to reach approximately 528,000 tonnes in 2024. 

Crates. Used in the fruit and vegetable, fish and nursery sectors, wooden crates have experienced a slow but steady decline in recent years. This is due to the growing use of crates made using alternative materials, such as corrugated cardboard, which is increasingly being used for fruit and vegetables, while the fish industry is moving toward the near-exclusive use of plastic and polystyrene crates. The downward trend continued in 2024, with a decline of 8%.

Cork stoppers. Although representing a niche (2.2%) within the wooden packaging sector, cork stoppers remain highly significant, as Italy is one of the world's leading producers of cork. Driven by trends in its target sectors, the cork stopper segment declined by about 17% in 2023. However, a positive turnaround is expected in 2024, with production projected to increase by 13.7%. That said, foreign trade figures show a sharp downturn in the industry: imports dropped by 25%, while exports fell by 180%, largely due to intensified competition from China. It is worth noting, however, that the production of cork stoppers in Italy has traditionally been geared toward the domestic market.