Image: Supplied
Ecomondo 2025, Europe and the Mediterranean basin’s leading international event for the green, blue and circular economies, concluded successfully at the Rimini Expo Centre, reaffirming its role as a global hub for ecological transition. Organised by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), this 28th edition marked a significant expansion, reflecting growing international engagement and the event’s leadership in advancing sustainability.
Total attendance increased by 7 per cent, with international visitors rising by 10 per cent. The exhibition featured over 1,700 brands—18 per cent from abroad—spanning 166,000 square metres. More than 600 journalists, including 15 per cent from outside Italy, helped draw global attention to Rimini as a centre of innovation and sustainability.
Highlighting the importance of Ecomondo’s role in the global green economy, Italy’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, visited the exhibition on November 6. “We can count ourselves among the leading countries in the world in terms of recycling capacity,” he said. “There is a lot of talk about rare earths and critical raw materials, but the largest deposit we have is our waste… And the ability to recycle is fully demonstrated at this show, a symbol of innovation and sustainability.”
Ecomondo 2025: the most international edition yet
This year’s event reinforced Ecomondo’s position as a global platform for collaboration between businesses, researchers, and industry professionals. Working with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the show welcomed over 800 hosted buyers and delegations from 65 countries, including Spain, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. Around 90 international associations also participated. Together, they facilitated 3,800 business meetings, advancing global cooperation and sharing best practices in ecological transition.
A global lens on the green transition
Over 200 events took place during the four-day exhibition—70 organised by Ecomondo’s Technical and Scientific Committee, chaired by Professor Fabio Fava. The programme offered deep insights into pressing sustainability topics, including waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), critical raw materials, the circular textile industry, sustainable finance, water management, the blue economy, bioenergy, AI in resource optimisation, and the role of communication in promoting ecological awareness.
The forum also dedicated focus to international cooperation, the Mediterranean’s green transition, and clean energy access initiatives in Africa, under the Mattei Plan and “Mission 300” programme. The fifth Africa Green Growth Forum further emphasised collaboration with the continent.
The 14th States General of the Green Economy opened Ecomondo with the presentation of the Report on the State of the Green Economy 2025, examining Europe’s ecological transition within the shifting global landscape. For the first time, the second day’s plenary session was conducted entirely in English, expanding the event’s international reach.
Innovation and industry on display
The return of Sal.Ve, the biennial Exhibition of Ecological Vehicles in partnership with ANFIA, showcased advanced vehicles and equipment for waste collection, street sweeping, and sewage disposal.
The Innovation District bridged research and industry, hosting 40 high-tech startups, including 20 from Morocco and Tunisia through the Luca Attanasio Lab Innovates for Africa project by ITA and MAECI. Ecomondo also presented the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation to seven companies—one from each sector—for the most forward-looking technologies.
Ecomondo will return to the Italian Exhibition Group’s Rimini Expo Centre from 3–6 November 2026, continuing its mission to accelerate the global green transition.
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