About us

“We are not the owners of all this, we are its custodians for the future.”

Luciano Nicolis

A passion for recycling in all its forms

For over sixty years, Lamacart has played a leading role in in materials recycling, with a business model that combines technological innovation, environmental sustainability and a strong recycling culture. A value passed down through generations: A passion for recycling in all its forms.
Lamacart was born from the forward-looking vision of Luciano Nicolis, who transformed the business founded by his father Francesco in 1934 in Villafranca di Verona into a structured company focused on efficiency and environmental responsibility. From the 1960s to the present day, Lamacart has continued to evolve while remaining true to its founding values: respect for theenvironment, social responsibility, a strong commitment toinnovation and deep roots in the local community.
Today, under the leadership of the third generation, the company represents a strong example of circular economy and contemporary corporate culture.

Luciano Nicolis and the birth of Lamacart: an intuition ahead of its time

Lamacart’s story has its roots in the 1930s, when Francesco Nicolis, Luciano’s father, was among the first to recognize the value of paper collection and recycling. With determination and sacrifice, he started a small craft business that would gradually lay the foundations for a solid entrepreneurial future.

At just 14 years old, with determination and initiative, Luciano Nicolis cycled through the towns of the Verona plain collecting waste paper to resell. From the very beginning, he recognized the hidden potential of discarded materials, turning what seemed like a daily struggle into an industrial vision capable of giving dignity to a sector that was still marginal at the time.

“I remember it fondly now, but as a child I was ashamed of it. The war had only recently ended and, at 14, I cycled around looking for opportunities. I collected used cement sacks, up to 300 at a time. I came home pushing 60 kg load. They sold well and my father was happy.”
Luciano Nicolis, founder of Lamacart and Museo Nicolis

In 1963 he founded Lamacart, creating a structured and reliable company capable of working with both public authorities and private companies.

In the 1990s, Thomas and Silvia Nicolisjoined the company, marking a new chapter in Lamacart’s history. This was not simply a generational handover, but a natural transition, almost a written destiny: Luciano’s values and passion were already an integral part of their identity, deeply rooted in the family DNA.
Alongside Luciano, an important role was also played by Renate, his German-born wife and mother of their children, who brought an international outlook and a genuine sensitivity to sustainability issues. Her vision also helped shape an education that looked beyond national borders.
During these years, the company made a decisive industrial leap forward: it invested in technology, expanded into international markets and strengthened its role within the European recycling industry. Lamacart subsequently reinforced its position even further, becoming one of the leading players in recycling on a global scale.

“Recycling is not only an environmental responsibility, but also an economic and social opportunity. Lamacart aims to be a strategic partner in the green economy, delivering sustainable and competitive industrial solutions for businesses and the planet.”
Thomas Nicolis, CEO of Lamacart

In 2012 Lamacart received the prestigious Papyrus Award, presented by the Bureau of International Recycling (B.I.R.):the industry’s highest international recognition, awarded to an Italian company for the first time. Today, the path begun by Luciano Nicolis continues through a legacy that is not only entrepreneurial, but also deeply rooted in values: a culture of work passed down with responsibility, vision and consistency.

Corporate culture

Lamacart is more than a company. It is the expression of a culture of recycling that goes beyond business.
The principles that guide Lamacart — regenerate, enhance, innovate — are the same ones that inspired Luciano Nicolis in the creation of Museo Nicolis. Under the leadership of Silvia Nicolisit is now one of the world’s 100 most prestigious collections dedicated to classic cars, human ingenuity, technology and design.

The Museum represents the cultural dimension of recycling: giving new life not only to materials, but also to memory, creativity and the technical identity of the twentieth century.

“Corporate culture is identity and memory. Through Museo Nicolis, we want to convey the generative power of businesses and the connection between ingenuity and territory, giving new generations an awareness of a heritage to preserve and enhance.”
Silvia Nicolis, President of Museo Nicolis

Lamacart and Museo Nicolis are two expressions of the same entrepreneurial vision: on one side, industrial efficiency; on the other, the enhancement of history and technological evolution. This philosophy shapes every part of the Group, within an entrepreneurial ecosystem that brings together business, culture and sustainability.
A path that looks to the future with the same determination as those who came before us, aware that the most important legacy is not only economic, but also ethical.

The key figures

Every company has a story. And every story is already part of the future.

At a time when the concept of sustainability did not yet exist, in the 1930s Francesco Nicolis (1900–1974), followed shortly afterwards by his son Luciano (1933–2012), had already understood the value of what others considered waste. Their vision went beyond the present: they saw opportunities where others saw an end, and resources where others saw waste. From this unconventional vision came a business capable of anticipating by decades the themes that are now central to thecircular economy.

At the heart of it all was a revolutionary idea: recycle to regenerate.

Founder of Lamacart and Museo Nicolis

Luciano Nicolis (1933-2012)

CEO of Lamacart

Thomas Nicolis

Lamacart has never simply followed the evolution of the industry: it has helped shape it.

The same attitude towards change is reflected today in the work of Thomas Nicolis, CEO of Lamacart, who continues to develop a business project that looks beyond the market: process digitalization, supply chain optimization, investment in state-of-the-art facilities and openness to international partnerships. The company’s story is that of a family that has always believed in the value of recycling, even when few were talking about it, transforming a personal insight into a solid business.

A journey shaped by courage and unconventional choices that continues to chart a course towards the future.

The strength of corporate culture

As President of Museo Nicolis, Silvia Nicolis has transformed a private collection into a leading corporate museum, recognized among the world’s 100 most
prestigious collections dedicated to classic cars, human ingenuity, technology and design. Her management approach brings together industrial tradition, managerial vision, service innovation and the promotion of the local area. Her work lies at the intersection of industry, culture and business, creating a dynamic platform for enhancing the Group’s brand heritage, relationships and founding values. Silvia is active across several institutional organizations, including Museimpresa, Confindustria and Veronafiere, promoting the excellence of Italian know-how and corporate culture.

A bridge between values, people and innovation.

President of Museo Nicolis

Silvia Nicolis

Sustainable by choice

For us, thecircular economy is not just a principle: it is part of our everyday reality.
Every day, we work to reduce waste, transform waste into resources and optimize the use of materials, helping to build a production system that respects the environment and promotes a concrete sustainability.
This commitment takes shape through the synergy between our companies, which work together within a virtuous cycle of recycling, regeneration and resource enhancement — a model that looks to the future and creates value for the entire local area.

Specialized in the collection, sorting and recycling of waste, Lamacart operates four authorized facilities for the storage of non-hazardous special wastewith an annual treatment capacity of more than 200.000 tonnes. Every year, it handles over 500.000 tonnes of recyclable materials and raw materials for the paper industry.

Operates as a distributor and cutting centre for paper and cardboard serving the printing and publishing, paper converting andpackaging sectors. It provides tailor-made solutions, optimizing formats to reduce waste and improve production efficiency throughout the supply chain.

Specializes in the trading and enhancement of secondary raw materials, with particular focus on recovered paper and cardboard. Thanks to an international network of partners and suppliers, it ensures the supply of high-quality materials for thepaper industry, helping to close the recycling loop and promote an increasingly circular and sustainable economy.

An expression of the Nicolis family’s entrepreneurial vision, Museo Nicolis preserves and promotes the industrial heritage of the 20th century, telling its evolution through a unique collection: over 200 cars, 100 motorcycles and thousands of examples of human ingenuity. The Museum represents the symbolic dimension of recycling: not only materials, but also memory, innovation and creativity, transforming what was destined to be forgotten into a resource for the future and a source of knowledge and inspiration for new generations.

Our values

Today more than ever, our commitment is focused on the future. We continuously invest in innovative solutions to improve recycling processes and reduce emissions, fully aware of the responsibility that comes with our work.

Because, as Luciano Nicolis used to say, "we are not the owners of what we have, but its custodians for the future.”