INDUSTRY DATA SHOW THE ASSOCIATION AS A KEY PARTNER OF THE CONFEDERATION OF ITALIAN INDUSTRY WITH RECREATIONAL BOATING AS A LEADING EXPRESSION OF ITALIAN DESIGN’S HALLMARK “BELLO E BEN FATTO”
On Saturday 18th October in São Paulo and Wednesday 22nd October in Rio de Janeiro, Confindustria Nautica – Italian Marine Industry Association joined the General Confederation of Italian Industry to present the 13th edition of Esportare la Dolce Vita (“Exporting the Dolce Vita”), an in-depth market report produced by the Confederation’s Study Centre, in collaboration with SACE and with the support of Confindustria Nautica alongside other national trade associations ANFAO, Confindustria Accessori Moda, Confindustria Moda, Federalimentare and FederlegnoArredo. As presented in Brazil, the report identifies the quality of Made in Italy production as the most effective catalyst for enhancing the country’s relevance worldwide through long-term economic and cultural partnerships.
The focus of the analysis is the concept of Bello e ben fatto (BBF – which translates to “Beautiful and Well-Made”), whose central pillars have traditionally been Italy’s so-called “3Fs” (Fashion, Food and Furniture). The boating sector joins the fold as a prominent showcase for many BBF sectors.
“The Made in Italy brand within the boating sector stands out for its ability to combine design, style and attention to detail, striking a perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality. Our customers perceive this value as something unique and irreplicable: it is not just building a boat, it is transmitting a culture, an artisanal approach that reflects Italian tradition and industrial excellence,” stated Fabio Planamente, Vice President of Confindustria Nautica, present in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as an ambassador for recreational boating, a shining example of the Bello e Ben Fatto concept. “Italian boats are an authentic embodiment of the ‘La Dolce Vita’ concept, an ideal of style and quality that continues to inspire and captivate not only Brazil but the whole world.”
The overview of Italian exports’ sectoral performance in terms of BBF products across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, years marked by significant challenges but also by gradual signs of a shift in international demand, shows that certain sectors have managed to achieve solid and steady growth, while others have shown greater difficulties in adapting. Among the leading sectors are boating and the chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. Boating, in particular, confirms an uninterrupted expansionary trajectory, with double-digit growth rates for three consecutive years.
When operating within a global context dominated by instability and new geopolitical blocs, exports remain the key to Italy’s growth.
With over €170 billion worth of goods with a high symbolic and identity value, the Made in Italy brand continues to stand out for its ability to combine craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability, offering international markets not only products, but also cultural value and relationships based on reliability. The report estimates additional potential BBF exports amounting to €27.6 billion, of which €19.4 billion in mature markets and €8.2 billion in emerging markets. The former include the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Spain. On the emerging front, the countries identified as having the highest potential are China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, with leading sectors such as food, fashion, furniture and jewellery.
A comparison between Italy, France and Germany in the BBF sectors in the first quarter of 2025 shows that Italy recorded particularly positive results in the boating (+26.7%) and chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics (+9.8%) sectors, where it clearly outperformed both its European competitors. Positive signs were also recorded in the fur sector (+3.7%), albeit much lower compared to the strong French rebound of +37.3%, and despite a volatile context.
As the analysis shows, a new phase of economic and cultural cooperation with Italy is now underway in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Between 2018 and 2024, exports of BBF sector products grew by an average of 10% per year, while demand for skills, creativity and sustainability also increased, values that make the link between the two regions unique. The numerous communities of Italian origin also represent a natural bridge for relationships based on beauty, quality and responsible innovation.
The agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, signed in December 2024 and approved by the European Commission, kicks off a new phase for trade with €4 billion in tariff reductions for European companies, 57 protected Italian geographical indications and over 1,400 Italian companies already active in the area. According to the General Confederation of Italian Industry’s Study Centre, the agreement’s full implementation has the potential to generate over €1.1 billion in additional exports to Mercosur countries, in addition to the €7.4 billion already achieved in 2024. This is not only a commercial opportunity, but also one for industrial and project cooperation, to build more integrated and sustainable value chains between Europe and Latin America.
“Enhancing the Made in Italy brand requires a strategy of openness in trade rather than isolationism. The agreement with Mercosur is a test of Europe’s ability to act as a global economic power and of Italy’s ability to promote relations based on mutual exchange and shared growth,” stated Barbara Cimmino, Vice President for Exports and Investment Attraction at the Confederation.
In a region such as Mercosur, characterised by higher per capita income growth than in other major regions of economic interest, the fact that the Made in Italy brand is perceived by consumers as a symbol of improved economic and social conditions is clearly a key factor which, if effectively leveraged, would be decisive for the future potential of Italian exports across the area. Within Italy’s BBF framework, the eyewear, nautical andthejewellery and goldsmith sectors stand out. The segmentation by sector of global BBF exports in the LAC market also shows the pervasiveness of China and the United States. Italy is competitive in specific industries: its market share in 2023 is 15.5% in boating products, 26.6% in eyewear and 29.4% in jewellery and goldsmithing. These sectors alone account for more than half of Italy’s total exports to the area (71.5%).
Read the full report at the following link: https://www.confindustria.it/en/publications/report-exporting-la-dolce-vita-2025/
