It is not one of the most energy-intensive sectors of the Italian industry, but also eyewear, the flagship of Made in Italy in the world, denounces the serious difficulties caused by energy costs: for eyewear these have always been on average within the limits of 5% of the total, reads a note released by Anfao, the sector association, but the current price levels are becoming difficult to manage.
The increase in the cost of energy and raw materials, which had already affected production costs in 2021, following the war in Ukraine has embarked on a dizzying trend – the note reads – which has triggered a global crisis that undoubtedly affects heavily on corporate balance sheets. Furthermore, the rising cost of energy has contributed to bringing inflation to its historic highs for decades, also bringing to the fore serious problems on household incomes and purchasing power.
“This crisis, which is no longer just energy, but is now global, and which, once again, has plunged us back into uncertainty, is putting our entire sector to the test – says the president of Anfao, Giovanni Vitaloni -. In particular, the recovery that we have hung up with so much effort after two years of pandemic is at risk ».
Italy is the first producer and the first exporter in Europe of sunglasses and frames and the second in the world, but first in the world for high-end products. Thanks to its strong international propensity, Italian eyewear was among the sectors that were best able to react in 2021, bringing its values back to pre-Covid levels (the production of the 848 companies for 18 thousand employees in 2021 was 4.17 billion euros, up 4.5% compared to 2019 and 35% compared to 2020). Exports of frames, sunglasses and lenses, which absorb about 90% of the sector’s production, grew by 39.2% on 2020 and 3.4% on 2019, slightly exceeding 4 billion euros . Italian eyewear has brought 105 million pairs of eyewear to the world, up by 1.5% compared to pre-Covid 2019.
The increase in bills and management costs to levels that are no longer sustainable, without new and additional measures to combat and support, could seriously jeopardize the continuation of the activity of many companies in the sector in the coming months, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. companies, less structured and less prepared to absorb new increases in raw materials, transport, logistics and packaging, just to mention the most important items.