Alessandra Astolfi, Global Exhibition Director of the Green & Technology Division at Italian Exhibition Group: Resource security has become a strategic issue for industrial competitiveness

From 3 to 6 November, at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy, the 29th edition of Ecomondo, an international event by the Italian Exhibition group (IEG) on green, blue and circular economy will be held. The focus of this year’s ECOMONDO event will be “Waste as a Resource”.

As Alessandra Astolfi, Global Exhibition Director of the Green & Technology Division at Italian Exhibition Group, emphasizes ahead of Ecomondo 2026, waste management and the recovery of value from waste have always been central to Ecomondo and will once again be among the event’s key themes this year.

– Today, resource security has become a strategic issue for industrial competitiveness. When we talk about waste, we must also talk about its recovery, taking a broader view that encompasses the circular economy as a whole. For this reason, for the 2026 edition we have further strengthened the Waste as Resource exhibition sector, expanding the space dedicated to the latest technologies for waste collection, sorting, treatment and recovery.

At the event itself, the theme of waste as a resource will be examined and analyzed far more broadly than just the issue of recycling. In line with that, beyond the quality of secondary raw materials and the technologies applied in the process, what aspects of this topic will be emphasized and why?

– With the aim of broadening the perspective and looking at waste management as an integrated value chain, alongside recycling and the quality of secondary raw materials, Ecomondo will also showcase solutions that make processes more efficient, expand recovery opportunities and enhance the value of industrial waste and residues by returning them to the production cycle.

We will also discuss the role of digital tools and services in making waste management more efficient, as well as future scenarios, implementation policies and best practices.

Textiles and the textile industry will also play a significant role at this year’s ECOMONDO, partly due to new EU rules and regulations in this sector. In fact, textiles will even have a dedicated thematic pavilion. Why is the textile sector at the upcoming ECOMONDO envisaged as an international hub for the value chain?

– The decision to dedicate an entire exhibition sector to textiles stems from our desire to give the industry an even more central and structured role at a time when it faces major sustainability challenges. Pavilion D2, dedicated to Textile, will therefore provide a meeting place where companies, associations and other stakeholders can exchange views on the expertise, technologies and transformations affecting the value chain.

Like the event as a whole, this area will have a strong international dimension, supported by Italian and European consortia and associations and through the involvement of highly qualified international buyers.

Another important aspect will be the opportunity to address the transformation of the textile sector as a whole. For example, a product that is easier to recycle is genuinely useful only if efficient systems are in place to collect, sort and process it into new raw materials. At the same time, recycling technologies must be accompanied by product design that takes recovery requirements into account.

At Ecomondo, we will discuss ecodesign, EPR, the Digital Product Passport, traceability, repairability and new technologies for recycling and recovering value from textile waste, also in light of the new European regulations. Alongside the exhibition area, there will be a dedicated conference programme organised by Ecomondo’s Textile Experts Board, a spin-off of its Technical Scientific Committee.

The water cycle and blue economy sectors will also feature prominently. What new thematic elements is ECOMONDO introducing this year regarding wastewater, trenchless technologies, and sustainable water resource management?

– This year, we have reorganised the Water Cycle & Blue Economy sector to provide more space for the different issues involved in managing and recovering value from water resources.

We will focus on wastewater treatment and purification, while also looking at what happens afterwards: from water recovery and reuse to sludge treatment and valorisation.

Digital innovation will be another important element, offering new tools for managing water resources more effectively, monitoring networks and supporting decision-making.

The exhibition will feature the latest technologies in valves, pumps and control systems. Through the Blue Economy and Trenchless districts, the latter organised in collaboration with the Italian Association for Trenchless Technologies (IATT), we will also showcase projects involving oceans, seas and coastal areas, alongside trenchless (No Dig) technologies for installing, rehabilitating and renewing underground utility infrastructure, such as electricity, gas and energy networks, water supply systems and sewers, while minimizing open-cut excavation.

Site and soil remediation, as well as bioenergy and the bioeconomy, will also be key segments. Why are events like ECOMONDO particularly important for sectors where the “bio-” prefix is increasingly emphasized, especially considering the ever-growing importance of sustainability?

– The prefix “bio-” is becoming increasingly important because it reflects a profound change in how we view development. We are increasingly aware that the economy, production activities and nature are not separate worlds, but parts of the same system. Biodiversity, soil, water, ecosystems and natural resources are essential not only for the environment, but also for the prosperity of our communities and businesses.

In this context, events such as Ecomondo play an important role by bringing together all the stakeholders involved – companies, operators, researchers and institutions – and enabling them to exchange knowledge and expertise.

Bioenergy, the bioeconomy and soil regeneration share the same objective: to use resources more intelligently and turn waste, materials and degraded areas into new opportunities.
We can see this in bioenergy and agriculture, through the recovery of wastewater and residues to produce biogas and biomethane; in the bioeconomy, through the development of products and processes based on renewable sources and waste materials; and in soil regeneration, through the remediation and reuse of disused sites.

Today, talking about “bio” also means connecting scientific knowledge, technological innovation and industrial capabilities with the need to preserve the balance of natural ecosystems. This is precisely Ecomondo’s role: to build connections that turn awareness of environmental challenges into concrete solutions.

A key part of this year’s debate will focus on documents shaping European industrial and environmental policy, as well as the use of increasingly prevalent artificial intelligence, innovations, and digital technologies. Why is international cooperation crucial in this context, particularly regarding the impact of these factors on manufacturing value chains?

– International cooperation is essential because no country or organisation can address the major industrial and environmental transformations taking place worldwide on its own.

The ecological transition can only be accelerated through coordinated action. It is therefore increasingly important to establish partnerships, create opportunities for technology transfer and support new synergies that can turn projects into reality.

New European policies, together with the spread of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, are reshaping production processes and value chains that can no longer be viewed solely at national level.

In this respect, we have stepped up our efforts to involve more international buyers, delegations and associations, in collaboration with MAECI – the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – and ICE – the Italian Trade Agency.

Of the more than 1,800 exhibitors taking part, the number of foreign exhibitors has increased by 10% compared with last year, and we expect more than 1,000 hosted buyers to attend.

The extensive and thematically rich program for this year’s event was devised by the International Technical and Scientific Committee, alongside efforts to strengthen the event’s international dimension. Compared to previous editions of ECOMONDO, what steps forward have already been made in this regard, even before the start of this year’s event?

– In developing the conference programme for Ecomondo 2026, the International Technical Scientific Committee has involved new European and international public and private institutional partners, the European Commission, agencies and leading stakeholders from across the continent.

This will enable us to host a broader debate on the issues shaping the evolution of the ecological transition around the world.

We will pay particular attention to the main European regulatory dossiers, with in-depth contributions from leading scientific and institutional experts. Topics will include resource efficiency, packaging, the circular economy, sustainable textiles, the water cycle, the Blue Economy, healthy and circular cities, natural risk prevention and management, soil restoration, the regenerative bioeconomy and bioenergy, while continuing to strengthen partnerships with the Mediterranean region and Africa.

In terms of internationalisation, we will welcome a guest country for the first time: Mexico.
This evolution allows us to address the ecological transition and circular economy not only from a technological perspective, but also in terms of regulation and industry, connecting developments at European and global level with the practical needs of individual value chains.

Italian Exhibition Group

Ecomondo

Ecomondo 2026

Italian Exhibition Group

IEG

Rimini Expo Centre

Alessandra Astolfi

Green and Technology Division at Italian Exhibition Group