Six themed macro-areas, a single ecosystem for ecological transition. Ecomondo, Italian Exhibition Group’s international trade show for industrial technologies and services for the circular economy, will be opening the doors of its 26th edition from 7th to 10th November at Rimini Expo Centre with a new payoff: The Ecosystem of the Ecological Transition . From exploiting waste to make further resources to the regeneration of soil and agro-forestry and food ecosystems, from energy obtained from biomass to the use of waste as secondary raw materials. And more still: the entire integrated water cycle and environmental monitoring, protection of the seas and aquatic environments in their essential function for human sustenance and economic activities. This is the exhibition layout with which IEG will be presenting the most innovative technologies for sustainable competitiveness to the market and it is also the first edition in which Ecomondo will occupy the entire Rimini Expo Centre premises since renewable energies have now found their independent position on the calendar of sector expos with K.EY, which took place back in March.
THE WATER SUPPLY CHAIN AND SAL.VE FOR ECOLOGICAL SERVICE VEHICLES
Waste as Resource, Sites & Soil Restoration, Circular & Regenerative Bio-economy, Bio-Energy & Agroecology, Water Cycle & Blue Economy, Environmental Monitoring & Control: these will be the themed exhibition areas at Ecomondo 2023. Two sectors will be highlighted from among and alongside these: the specific “Water” area and the new edition of SAL.VE. In the former, visitors will find the entire water resource supply chain: from capture to restitution and reuse with a focus on digital transformation, which is now a key element in improving its management. Top national and international utility service companies and trade associations, including Utilitalia , will be featuring in this area with a programme of seminars. In the biennial SAL.VE area, organised in partnership with ANFIA, leading manufacturers will be exhibiting vehicles for ecological waste collection and disposal services as well as urban sanitation. Test drives will be available outside.
DISTRICTS FOR “BEACON” CIRCULAR ECONOMY PROJECTS
Ecomondo will provide space at the Expo Centre for three industrial districts for which the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) has given the go-ahead with a contribution to 160 “beacon” projects for the circular economy. Rimini will therefore feature the WEEE District with a specific focus on repowering technologies and new systems for recycling waste from electrical and electronic equipment, photovoltaic panels and wind turbine blades. In the PAPER District , the focus will be on systems for the collection, logistics and recycling of paper and cardboard in cooperation with COMIECO. Lastly, a themed itinerary will be dedicated to the production of plastics with a focus on recycling systems and marine litter.
TEXTILE WASTE, ECODESIGN AND SUPPLY CHAIN SUSTAINABILITY
The textile industry has been identified as a key value chain for which the European Union has foreseen actions to promote its sustainability, circularity, traceability and transparency. Key factors are eco-design requirements, producer responsibility schemes and labelling systems. In Rimini, ample emphasis will be placed on the entire supply chain: from production to post-consumption. The objective of all stakeholders is to provide answers to these challenges by providing information about ongoing projects and ultimate goals as well as promoting new business models in order to outline the state of the art of textile waste management in Italian municipalities. There will be a debate and exhibition area with all stakeholders: waste producers, managers, consortia and associations, research and development institutes, textile treatment and valorisation plants, without forgetting the second hand sector.
BIO CITIES: CIRCOLAR AND HEALTHY
Ecomondo and K.EY have parted company on the trade show calendar, but the smart city, which is traditionally the falling point of renewable energies, can also be categorised under “sustainability” and “healthy”. The Circular and Healthy Cities project does just that by regenerating the city, making it greener and more efficient in the way it manages water, food, waste water and waste.
ECOMONDO AND START-UPS, MISSION: TO INNOVATE
Ecomondo as an incubator and facilitator of innovative projects: the Start-Up and Scale-Up Innovation area in the new East entrance will be back and further extended. Companies and investors will have a new and larger platform for dialogue in order to cultivate the new generation of innovative businesses. More than 50 start-ups are expected in Rimini for the 2023 edition. IEG and ITA-Italian Trade Agency are promoting the initiative with ART-ER (Territorial Appeal Research, Emilia-Romagna’s regional agency) and Confindustria as their main partners, in addition to collaboration with ANGI (National Association of Young Innovators), to promote all-round innovation.
BLUE ECONOMY: CIRCOLAR AND REGENERATIVE
From fishing and aquaculture to the regeneration of ports and coastlines and seawater desalination technologies: the blue economy will include all traditional and emerging economic sectors linked to the development of Italian and Mediterranean marine resources.
ECOMONDO, AN EVOLVING EVENT
For the 2023 edition, Ecomondo will explore frontline themes. Millennials and Generation Z are showing considerable sensitivity towards environmental protection and IEG’s event acts as a platform of ideas to give shape to today’s technological research and create tomorrow’s jobs. Exchange of knowledge, access to research tenders and European funding: Ecomondo addresses the new generations so that they can participate in the ecological transition. But there is also a new way of doing business, which the Rimini event will pay attention to and whose good practices will be shared in an area dedicated to B-Corps and their regenerative and socially responsible business model. The languages of sustainability and responsibility in corporate communication and journalism are also priorities for Ecomondo.
THE CONFERENCE PROOGRAMME AND EVENTS
Ecomondo will offer its community a full programme of conventions and conferences organised under the aegis of the Technical-Scientific Committee, directed by Professor Fabio Fava from Bologna University, in collaboration with the event’s main institutional and technical partners, together with the international board that includes experts from the European Commission, OECD, FAO, UfM, EEA, ISWA. Top topics will be dealt with in an attempt to transmit even more knowledge transmission to the Ecomondo community: the priorities of the European Green Deal, the circular economy, the regeneration of polluted areas and ecosystems, the protection of soils and seas and of the Mediterranean in particular. Case studies, public policies, public funding available for businesses, citizen engagement. The TSC and stakeholders will put together a calendar over the months to come that will create even more engagement between universities, research, industry and institutions to match, if not exceed, the +15% attendance at last year’s conferences compared to 2019.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA, together with the increasing participation of executives from the European Commission, will be joined by CONAI, Utilitalia, CIB, CIC, CONAU, Assoambiente, Cisa Ambiente, the Foundation for Sustainable Development and National Green Economy Council as institutional partners of the event, as well as the Kyoto Club, Legambiente, Federazione ANIE, FIRE, ANFIA, ISPRA, Water Europe, ISWA and WBA.
FURTHER PUSH TOWARDS INTERNATIONALITY
With a 58% increase in foreign visitation compared to 2021, the involvement of profiled operators from the Balkan area, non-EU Europe, North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia), Senegal, Ivory Coast, Angola, Ghana, Rwanda, the Middle East, as well as Canada, Latin America, the United States and China will continue for the next edition. The second edition of the Africa Green Growth Forum will be staged thanks to the contribution of prestigious international agencies, inter-governmental institutions, such as the Union for the Mediterranean and UNIDO, non-profit organisations, including Res4Africa, Business Council for Africa, which will present the technological framework and opportunities for growth and development in the African continent.
