The priority commitments for the Green and Circular economy of the European Commission were the highlights of expo contents and events at Ecomondo and Key Energy, which ended today at Rimini Expo Centre.

Four days for sharing knowledge, technologies and strategies to ensure enterprises a leading role in the European scenario that aims at reducing the production of waste, and encouraging its re-use, thanks also to important funding to support research and innovation. Therefore, redesigning products and industrial processes, adopting the principles of the circular economy, is the issue for modern manufacturing, efficient green cities, remediation and upgrading of polluted sites and management of water resources. Ecomondo and Key Energy also presented real examples of companies, cities and institutions that have already adopted the principles of the circular economy.

The event organized by Italian Exhibition Group, ended after being attended by 116,131 visitors (+10%), over 12,000 of whom were international.

Increasing use was made of the on-site railway station at Rimini Expo Centre, with 120 special stops by Trenitalia. In the press room 520 journalists were accredited; approximately 162 million media contacts to date. Outstanding following on the social networks: 16,885,000 impressions for the expos and relative accounts (6.4 million more than 2016).

Italian Exhibition Group President Lorenzo Cagnoni states, ´Ecomondo transmits faith in the future, as it continues to grow and represent an international system of enterprises able to foster economic progress and environmental sustainability. The circular economy is the common denominator of every idea of development, with great results also in social terms, and the expos were able to interpret, in the concreteness of knowledge, experience and business, what is happening in the world.´

Concepts that were highlighted at the inauguration by Minister for the Environment, Gian Luca Galletti, who, throughout the opening day, met enterprises and took part in meetings, setting the days´ leitmotif, ´We must try not to conceive different economies any longer. The Ôgreen´ economy is the only one possible if we want to look to the future, and Ecomondo represents it fully.´

In an area of 113.000 sq.m., 1,200 enterprises participated in Ecomondo and Key Energy; there were over 200 events, opened by the States General of the Green Economy and attended by 11,000 professionals and expert.

´Combining contents involved in regulations, research and innovation and the creation of enterprises with a European and international profile, and wide participation at a trade expo is Ecomondo´s characteristic feature´, comments Prof. Fabio Fava, head of the Technical Scientific Committee. ´This year we have added new elements: the idea of covering the various issues with the logic of a Ôlong product cycle´, with the participation of large and small enterprises, manufacturing sectors that are complementary to one another, covering regulations, research and innovation and the means available for financing them. A format that enabled us to offer the terrain for connections, an opportunity for new partnerships and enrich the entire sector with new value.´

In the context of KEY ENERGY, the only event Italian dedicated to renewable energies, the new 2017 features, with areas dedicated to energy efficiency and optimization, and the scientific proposals that attracted interest and participation, met with success.

´After critical years in the renewable energy sector´, commented Gianni Silvestrini, chairman of the Key Energy scientific Committee, ´photovoltaic and wind power are showing signs of growth. The recently presented National Energy Strategy foresees the phasing out of coal plants within 2025 and the coverage of 55% of electricity consumption with renewable sources by 2030. This new scenario, connected with the commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement, will lead to a decisive growth of photovoltaic power, which could increase tenfold compared with recent years. Wind energy will also undergo a clear growth thanks to the new plants and the revamping of existing ones.

In this new stage of ferment the solar energy sector seems to have once more found its home at Rimini Expo Centre with Key Solar. The areas dedicated to solar energy and storage, like Key Wind, which continues to grow year after year, will definitely be strengthened right from next year with the aim of backing new market development.´

On the important bioeconomy issues the contribution of the OCSE and the European Union with key personalities at level European and world level, such as OCSE, representative James Philip and Philippe Mengal, executive director of the BBI JU, the European Union´s public-private joint undertaking (3.7 billion euros) dedicated to developing the bioeconomy in Europe.

Another key topic of the 2017 edition was mobility and transport in the context of the Sustainable City area, with ample expo areas dedicated to ICT, automotive, urban regeneration and intermodal transport, as well as projects of great interest, including the reports of the US cities of Portland (Oregon) and San Leandro (California), leading US municipalities in the US projects on Mobility and Energy/Waste/Water.

At the Global Water Expo, artificial intelligence and robotics showed how they are at the service of monitoring rivers´ and lakes´ water and the management of infrastructures. Ecomondo hosted the presentation of the revolutionary new European scenario with the most advanced projects on the front of the management of water assets. In particular, the very latest developments in the European innovation action of Horizon2020 Intcatch.