Italy’s cold chain logistics industry met on 13 May 2026 at Fiera Milano, during Transpotec Logitec, to take stock of a sector worth more than $7.8 billion, around €7.2 billion, and forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.6%. The operators were convened by Assologistica (Italian Association of Logistics Companies), with the aim of turning operational issues into concrete proposals to be submitted to the Government, European institutions and all bodies responsible for legislating on the sector. The meeting was opened by Assologistica president Paolo Guidi and secretary general Jean François Daher. The technical overview was introduced by Luca Quaresima, Italy country manager at Newcold, a company specialising in high-tech automated warehouses for temperature-controlled storage. Assologistica also appointed Quaresima as special delegate for the cold chain. His mandate is to help build a structured process of representation and proposals for the entire sector.
Energy was the first issue on the agenda. Cold chain infrastructure operates continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with consumption that cannot be reduced without compromising the quality and safety of stored products. Energy can account for up to 40% of operating costs, depending on facilities and activities. This is compounded by volatility in energy markets, which makes financial planning difficult, and by a mismatch between the sector’s consumption profile and the support tools currently available to energy-intensive businesses. The request emerging from the debate is twofold: consistent access to existing instruments for energy-intensive companies and cost compensation mechanisms, but above all institutional recognition of the supply chain as strategic infrastructure, a prerequisite for any structural intervention.
Alongside energy, the sector is burdened by a fragmented and often inadequate regulatory framework. Logistics in temperature-controlled environments has organisational and operational characteristics that are not properly reflected in the general rules governing the sector: from prolonged staff presence in severely cold environments to shift rotation, breaks, allowances, safety standards and productivity requirements. Operators are calling for simplification and an update of the regulatory framework that takes these specific features into account, with clear and specific rules for activities carried out in refrigerated environments.
The third front concerns the green transition. Compliance with F-Gas regulations, covering fluorinated greenhouse gases widely used in refrigeration systems, the adoption of refrigerants with a lower environmental impact, improved energy efficiency at facilities, self-generation from renewable sources, storage systems and intelligent consumption management all require significant investment. For small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector, the payback times for these investments are often difficult to sustain without dedicated incentives. Requests put forward at the meeting include incentives for plant revamping, support for energy self-generation and simplified authorisation procedures for new refrigerated warehouses and platforms.
These structural issues are compounded by a growing shortage of skilled workers. Refrigeration technicians, specialist maintenance staff, logistics operators with experience in refrigerated environments, energy technicians, personnel for automated facilities and drivers specialised in refrigerated transport are increasingly hard to find in the labour market. For Assologistica, training is a decisive lever. Dialogue with schools, higher technical institutes and universities is seen as a tool to make cold chain professions more attractive and to build the skills needed for the sector’s technological transformation.
Italy’s cold chain logistics sector includes cold stores, refrigerated transport, temperature-controlled platforms, industrial facilities, specialised maintenance and services connected with the handling and distribution of sensitive goods. It is cross-sector infrastructure, supporting agrifood, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and retail distribution. Assologistica vice-president Umberto Ruggerone strongly underlined this systemic role: without the cold chain, production is wasted and the economic system cannot function.
Assologistica confirmed its intention to launch a stable process with companies in the supply chain, following the model of working groups already promoted for other specialist logistics segments. The aim is to build a shared position, based on technical evidence and broad representation, to be taken into discussions with institutions, industrial and retail clients, national and European associations, starting with the Global Cold Chain Alliance. Six priorities emerged from the meeting: strategic recognition, access to tools for energy-intensive businesses, regulatory updates, incentives for the green transition, specialist training and infrastructure development. These now form the agenda that the association intends to take to institutional discussions in the coming months.
