Over the last hundred years, global chemical production has grown exponentially, from 1 million tonnes in 1930 to several hundred million tonnes today. The European Union (EU) is the second largest producer in the world after China, and it is estimated that over 100,000 chemical substances are present on the European market. Italy, with a production value exceeding 66 billion euros, is the third largest producer in Europe after Germany and France, and the twelfth globally. Around 2,800 chemical companies operate in Italy, employing more than 112,000 people, although chemical products are used in all production sectors.

The European regulation on chemical substances is likely the most ambitious in the world, aiming to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment. The main reference regulations are REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) and CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging). Responsibility for the safe management of chemicals lies primarily with the companies that manufacture, import, or use them. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the competent authorities of EU Member States monitor company compliance and can intervene with specific measures if risks to human health or the environment are not properly controlled. Through regulatory process monitoring, the indicator provides elements to assess progress in achieving safety objectives set by the legislation.

The indicator analyzes the distribution of all industrial activities across the country according to the categories defined in Legislative Decree 105/2015 for establishments at risk of major accidents. The analysis of establishment types allows for a qualitative mapping of industrial risk in our country. The legislation divides establishments into 38 activity categories plus a thirty-ninth category (other) comprising all activities not included in the previous categories, based on the NACE code, a general classification system used to systematize and standardize the definitions of economic/industrial activities in the various European Union member states. Specifically, as of June 30, 2025, the total number of establishments at risk of major accidents is 932, a slight decrease of 1 compared to December 2024. Regarding the type of activities present across the country, the prevalence of "LPG storage" depots (1°) and "chemical plants" (2°) is observed. These are followed by the so-called "Other activities, unspecified" (3rd), "Storage of fuels (including for heating, retail sale, etc.)" (4th), and "Production, bottling, and wholesale distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)" (5th). Together, these constitute approximately 50% of all establishments. These are followed by "Storage and wholesale and retail distribution (excluding LPG)" (6th), "Treatment of metals by electrolytic or chemical processes" (7th), "Production of pharmaceutical products" (8th), and "Production, destruction, and storage of explosives" (9th). These are followed by "Manufacture of chemical substances (not otherwise specified in the list)" (10th), "Production and storage of pesticides, biocides, and fungicides" (11th), and "Storage, treatment, and disposal of waste" (12th).

The indicator analyzes the type of substances or categories of hazardous substances/mixtures most prevalent in facilities at risk of major accidents, present throughout Italy and declared by the managers of the facilities subject to Legislative Decree 105/2015. Among the categories of hazardous substances (Annex 1 - Part 1 of Legislative Decree 105/2015) most widespread in quantitative terms are those belonging to Section "P" - Physical Hazards, particularly flammable liquids. Environmentally hazardous substances falling into the hazard category "E" - Environmental Hazards are also very widespread. The regions with the highest presence of toxic substances are Sardinia, followed by Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont. The region with the highest quantities of flammable substances is Sicily, followed by Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, and Sardinia. There is a significant presence, distributed throughout Italy, of flammable liquefied gases and natural gases (LPG and methane) and petroleum products.

The indicator identifies areas with a high concentration of major-accident risk establishments, providing useful information for land use planning, particularly regarding land use and allocation. In 2025, there were 29 municipalities with four or more major-accident risk establishments, distributed across 12 regions: these municipalities house approximately a quarter of Italy's major-accident risk establishments. The regions with the highest number of these municipalities are Sicily (five), Lazio (four), Lombardy (four), and Piedmont (four). Municipalities with a high number of establishments include Ravenna with 26 establishments and Genoa with 13, followed by Trecate with 10, Naples and Venice with nine, Filago with eight, and Augusta, Anagni, Catania, and Livorno with seven establishments.

The indicator identifies the number of establishments, by regional and provincial level, divided by category, based on the regulatory requirements to which establishment operators are subject. As of June 30, 2025, the total number of establishments considered hazardous for the purposes of a major accident in Italy was 932. Compared to December 2024, when the number of establishments was 933, there has been a reduction (one less). Regarding the distribution of notified establishments across the country, the situation remains virtually unchanged, with approximately a quarter concentrated in Lombardy and in regions with a high industrial presence, such as Veneto, Piedmont, and Emilia-Romagna. Almost all Italian provinces contain at least one establishment at risk of a major accident.

The European Farm to Fork strategy sets two targets to be achieved by 2030: a 50% reduction in the use and risk of chemical pesticides and a 50% reduction in the use of the most hazardous pesticides. To measure progress towards these targets, two indicators have been defined based on the sales of active substances contained in plant protection products and the hazardous properties of these substances. The indicators described represent the European and national trends in progress towards the pesticide reduction goals of the Farm to Fork strategy. In 2022, the use and risk of chemical pesticides showed a 36% decrease at the European level compared to the 2015-2017 baseline period. For Italy, the reduction exceeds the European target, reaching 53%, with a 10 percentage point decrease in the last year. Regarding the use of the most hazardous pesticides, the national decrease in 2022 was faster than the European one, amounting to a 34% reduction compared to the European 25% (relative to the 2015-2017 period).

The indicator allows for the assessment of surface and groundwater contamination by pesticide residues released into the environment. Monitoring pesticide presence in water is complex due to the number of substances involved and their diffuse use. Measured levels are compared with the concentration limits established by current regulations. The presented indicators provide an analysis of the evolution of contamination over the 2012–2021 decade, in terms of the frequency of pesticide detection in water, as well as the environmental risks arising from their use. Data from 2021 confirm a state of contamination already reported in previous years, with exceedances of legal limits particularly in surface waters (28.3% of monitoring points); in groundwater, 6.8% of points exceed regulatory limits.