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US tariffs present export challenges for Italy
22nd of April 2025 Article by Anna Garbagna
In Italy, says Anna Garbagna, companies are worried about the US president’s tariff policies.
President Trump’s Golden Age may not correspond to an equally happy period for the Italian market, which is worried about the duties announced by the new US administration on our goods. According to the Svimez study conducted on behalf of Il Sole 24 ore, the general scenario would be a 3.8 billion impact on national GDP and €5.8 billion of exports to the US. With a loss of more than 53,000 jobs per year.
The new policies could deal a severe blow to Italian exports, with knock-on effects on entire productive sectors. The US represent Italy’s second largest market for exports (€66.4 billion in 2024, or 10.7 per cent of the national total).
According to Confartigianato, the sectors most exposed to these consequences would be those characterized by a strong presence of micro and small businesses, which in 2024 exported €17.9 billion worth of products to the US, with a 3.9 per cent growth between January and September.
Export investment
In addition to duties, another risk highlighted by Maurizio Gardini, president of Confcooperative, is the Italian Sounding phenomenon, or the spread of products that imitate Made in Italy products without respecting their quality and certifications. As prices of original Italian products rise, American consumers may turn to lower quality local alternatives.
Italian companies have invested heavily in export and internationalisation to grow their business, but now they face this new obstacle.
The impact of the duties imposed by the Trump administration on professional cleaning detergents and machinery depends on various factors, including the customs classification of the products and materials involved.
For instance, machinery which often falls under the category of capital goods and mechanical/electrical machinery, could be subject to the duties, especially if it contains steel and aluminium components (up to 25 per cent). Chemical detergents for professional cleaning would still present some critical issues related to increased transportation costs, since duties on raw materials would have an impact on logistics costs.
Many countries are responding to Trump’s choice with similar measures, and this climate of instability could make sourcing certain materials or accessing key markets for the cleaning industry more complex. This is also why some manufacturers may be considering setting up factories or joint ventures with US companies.
Although no specific data is available for professional cleaning, it is estimated to contribute less than one per cent of total Italian exports to the US.
However in the Italian industrial cleaning market, the impact of Trump’s tariffs depends on the exposure of individual companies, and while those who depended on imports from the US will experience increased costs and those who exported to the US will find it more difficult to maintain competitive prices, it is also true that those who operated mainly in Europe could benefit from less US competition. This would give the right indication for a recovery strategy.
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