ITALY –   In 2025, Milan-based Centro Studi Industria Leggera (CSIL) celebrates its 45th anniversary, a milestone that serves both to honor its history and to look ahead at the challenges and opportunities facing the organization and the global furniture sector.

Founded in 1980 to study Italy’s furniture industry, CSIL has since expanded its reach to more than 100 markets worldwide. Today, Italy represents just 10–15% of its turnover. Some 25 years ago, CSIL also developed a second business area focused on evaluating EU development projects, in collaboration with both Italian and international institutions.

According to Giovanna Castellina, director of international marketing and since 2024 also editor-in-chief of World Furniture magazine, nearly 50% of CSIL’s work remains linked to the wood-furniture supply chain, reflecting its strong roots in the sector.

Castellina highlighted the increasing complexity of economic research in the era of the internet and artificial intelligence. Still, she emphasized CSIL’s strength: a team of 50 researchers, a database of over 15,000 professional contacts worldwide, and a methodology based on fieldwork, direct interviews, and rigorous assessments.

On global dynamics, Castellina pointed to the growing importance of geography and trade barriers, with companies relocating to Mexico or Vietnam to serve the U.S. market, India emerging as the fourth-largest furniture market valued at USD 22 billion, and uncertainty over China’s future growth trajectory.

Despite challenges, Italy continues to hold fourth place among the world’s largest furniture exporters, after the U.S., China, and Poland. Castellina stressed that, while the sector has lost its top position, it remains resilient compared to other European countries where import dependence is much higher.

Publishing around 40 multi-client reports each year, alongside tailored research, CSIL remains committed to innovation, flexibility, and intellectual independence. For Castellina, the organization’s next chapter will continue to be guided by three key principles: knowledge, rigor, and sustainability.