1.1 Definition and scope of the study

Paint is any liquid or pigmented composition that solidifies after being applied. The main purposes of paint are to color, protect or harden surfaces and objects.

The paint market in Italy is stagnant today, having peaked in the years 2010-12. However, the renovation industry (particularly helped by government subsidies) is helping to keep this market afloat. More than half a billion liters of paint are used in Italy each year. There are more than 600 paint manufacturers (up to 795 according to other estimates), which include multinational corporations, sole proprietors, small cooperatives, SMEs, local craft enterprises, etc. The distribution of paint is often territory-based, and there seems to be a high degree of customer loyalty in this sector. In addition, government guidelines regarding construction restrict the color and type of paint in different regions of the country.

The number of painters/varnishers is almost impossible to measure: they are often freelancers, micro-businesses, or craft businesses. Despite stagnation, the paint market in Italy is the third largest in Europe behind France and Germany.

This market can be classified into 4 main segments:

Architectural paints (interior, exterior, wood protection, furniture)
Automotive paints (cars, trains, ships/boats, airplanes, etc.)
Industrial paint (machinery, flooring)
Artistic/decorative paint

In Italy, the top 10 paint manufacturers account for a 43% market share and produce 49% of paints. Italy is a major paint exporter: 194 million euros to Germany, 153 million euros to Spain, 148 million euros to France, 135 million euros to Poland, and 112 million euros to Russia. With growing markets such as India (+13.8 percent paint use from 2018 to 2019) and Scandinavian countries (all +7 percent paint use from 2018 to 2019), Italy can potentially benefit from these changing dynamics.

1.2 The global market is growing strongly

The global paint market has been growing steadily since ****, however, it suffered a sharp decline in **** due to the coronavirus pandemic. A slight recovery began in ****, and the value of the market is expected to soon exceed pre-pandemic levels.

Market value of the paint and coatings industry World, ****-****, in billions ...

1.3 Italian Paint Market

The Italian production of paints and related products is very important. In ****, the value of Italian paint sales was *.* billion euros.

Turnover of paint and varnish companies Italy, ****-****, in billion euros Source: ****

The graph above shows the turnover of paint for the last ** years, with Ateco Code ********. The value of ...

1.4 Trade flows generated by paint

Italy ranks fourth worldwide as paint exporter, after Germany, the United States and Japan. Exports value in **** amounted to *.* billion euros. As for imports, their value in **** was ***.* million euros.

Italian paint exports Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

Paint imports for Italy from the world Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

The two graphs above represent ...

2.1 Construction sector is driving the paint market

Year **** closed with very encouraging data for the paint industry. In fact, the construction sector drove the post-coronavirus recovery, accounting for nearly ** percent of the entire sector. Positive signs were, in fact, emerging after several difficult years, in particular from the renovation sector, more than new construction, but also from the ...

2.2 The Italian creative industry: the Visual Arts sector

The Visual Arts sector represents the first sector of the Italian Creative Industry in terms of number of employees. It generated, in ****, about **.* billion euros.[***]

This sector includes painters, sculptors, and artists. Nowadays, in Italy, this sector is not very large. The last publiished report regarding the Italian art sector was ...

3.1 Companies in the industry

Paint companies in Italy have a production value of ***.** million in ****.

Italian paint and varnish production Italy, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

The graph above represents the value of domestic paint production over the past decade. The figures show that production has never reached * billion in value, and that it ...

3.2 The legal form of companies in the industry

There are numerous companies in the paint and varnish industry in Italy, as seen in the previous part.

Number of companies producing paints, varnishes and similar coatings by legal form Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

The following graph shows the legal form of companies in the painting sector. We can see that most ...

3.3 The domestic and international companies in the painting industry

World companies:

Market share of coatings and paint companies World, ****, in % Source: ****

This graph shows the market shares of the top global companies in the industry. It can be seen that there are few companies that have large market shares (***), so it is not a very centralized market.

European market:

Paint ...

4.1 Prices charged on the Italian market

Production:

The Istat database provides prices for the production of paints and varnishes during the course of the year.

Paint, varnish manufacturing price index Italy, ****-****, Base ****=*** Source: ****

The graph above shows paint manufacturing prices in Italy, the measure used is base *** during year ****.

Retailing:

Consumer prices, on the other hand, ...

4.2 Classification of paints

Resin: also known under the name binder, is the most important element because as it dries it generates the protective and decorative film. It has a dual functionality: protection and adhesion. Alkyl resins-very bright, retains color, UV resistant Acrylic resins - excellent photochemical stability, chemical inertness and hydrolytic stability, resistant to ...

4.3 Industry innovations: sustainability of paints

The topic of sustainability is also being discussed in the chemical industry and thus in the paint industry. Companies are increasingly developing products in line with ecology and that pay attention to the environment. IVM Group, an Italian company, invests * percent of its sales in research and development, and they have ...

5.1 National Regulations

In Italy, paint products follow specific legislation, Legislative Decree ***/****, implementing European Directive ****/**/EC, which imposed specific limits on the maximum volatile organic compound (***) content in products used in construction and bodywork.

Restrictions imposed by the REACH Regulation and the Biocides Regulation also have consequential impacts on the production and research and ...