PRESS RELEASE
Comunicato n. 5 del 28/10/2026 ( download download )
· From 3rd to 6th November, Italian Exhibition Group’s international event on the green, blue and circular economy will amass the innovation ecosystem at Rimini Expo Centre
· In the Innovation District, 20 innovative start-ups and SMEs will present cutting-edge projects and solutions for the ecological transition and the circular economy
· For the first time, a delegation of 11 Brazilian start-ups from the agri-food sector will be attending
· The Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation will be presented to exhibitors with the most advanced and promising technologies in each Ecomondo exhibition sector
Rimini 28th October 2026 – An open innovation ecosystem designed to connect businesses, start-ups, research centres, institutions and investors by fostering technology transfer, the creation of new partnerships and interdisciplinary exchange.
This is Ecomondo’s Innovation District, the area dedicated to innovation at Italian Exhibition Group’s international green, blue and circular economy event (3rd to 6th November, Rimini Expo Centre).
A place where research is transformed into real-world solutions ranging from technologies and industrial plants to digital platforms, specialist scientific services for the management and recovery of water resources, the circular economy, waste recovery, environmental monitoring, the circular and regenerative bioeconomy, digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence and production process sustainability.
As in previous editions, this year the Innovation District will once again host 20 start-ups and innovative SMEs, selected through a Call for Start-ups, that will present their innovative projects and solutions for speeding up the ecological transition and developing the circular economy.
Furthermore, through LIDE Italia, as part of the BRAVI2026 project (Brazilian AgriFoodTechs Innovation in Italy), a delegation of 11 Brazilian start-ups operating in the agri-food sector will be visiting Ecomondo. The initiative aims to promote the internationalisation of Brazilian agri-food tech companies by putting them into contact with Italy’s innovation, research and business ecosystem.
THE INNOVATIONS ON DISPLAY
The innovative technologies presented by the 20 organisations in the Innovation District will include solutions for: the recovery and reuse of greywater to reduce drinking water consumption in buildings; the degradation of PFAS; the decarbonisation of industrial processes; smart energy monitoring for industry using algorithms that help reduce waste; measuring biodiversity; recycling lithium batteries; the production of permanent magnets from recycled rare earths; the traceability of hazardous medical waste; the measurement of agricultural ecosystem services and the production of organic fertilisers and bio-stimulants from agro-industrial residues; urban sanitation; and production process optimisation.
THE LORENZO CAGNONI AWARD FOR GREEN INNOVATION
Alongside the Innovation District, Ecomondo also promotes innovation through the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation, which will be presented at an awards ceremony to the most promising projects – one for each of the event’s exhibition sectors – submitted by exhibiting companies selected from among the 37 that sent in applications.
SKILLS FOR THE TRANSITION
The Green Jobs&Skills initiative will be back at Ecomondo 2026 with the aim of encouraging the encounter between labour supply and demand for recent graduates, final-year students at technical colleges, young professionals, workers seeking to move into sustainability, and businesses committed to the ecological transition.
Attention to the younger generation has always been part of the event’s programme, engaging students throughout the event in workshops and initiatives designed specifically for them.
Thursday 5th and Friday 6th November, will see a series of meetings and workshops including the presentation of the Unioncamere Report on skills and professional needs.
According to the Report, 1,950,210 green jobs were planned for 2025, accounting for 33.6%t of the national total.
57.2% of businesses were investing in green skills and of these, 24.5% were textile firms that focus investments on recycling waste and reducing consumption with 23.5% of recruitment in 2025 relating to green jobs. However, the skills mismatch is still evident. The difficulty in finding suitable candidates was around 53% due, in 60% of cases, to a shortage of candidates. Almost 80% of planned recruitment required skills relating to energy saving and sustainability; 58.8% required skills relating to green technology management.
Ecomondo 2026 will also feature in-depth sessions to explore the evolution of Italy’s academic training programmes in response to the challenges of the circular economy, as well as the incentive scheme for businesses to employ green skills. Unioncamere will also be presenting awards to schools that have produced the best circular economy Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation (PCTOs) projects, formerly known as the school-work alternation scheme.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
Ecomondo 2026 is organised by Italian Exhibition Group with the collaboration of: the European Commission; UNIDO ITPO; Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI); Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy; Italian Trade Agency for the promotion and internationalisation of Italian companies abroad (ICE); Emilia-Romagna Region; Rimini Municipal Council; ANFIA (National Automotive Industry Association); ART-ER; Assoambiente; CBE JU (Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking); CIB (Italian Biogas Consortium); CIC (Italian Composter Consortium); CIHEAM (International Centre For Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies); CONAI (National Packaging Consortium); EBA (European Biogas Association); ENEA; ESWET (European Supplier of Waste-to-Energy Technologies); European Environment Agency; FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization); FEAD (European Waste Management Association); Sustainable Development Foundation; ISPRA (Environmental Protection and Research Institute); ISWA (International Solid Waste Association); Legambiente; OECD; RECYCLING EUROPE; UNACEA (National Union of Construction Equipment & Attachments Companies); UNICIRCULAR (Assoambiente section); UTILITALIA; Water Europe.
ABOUT ECOMONDO 2026
Event: International trade show; Organisation: Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A.; Frequency: annual; Edition: 29th; Dates: 3-6 November 2026; mail: ecomondo@iegexpo.it; Website: www.ecomondo.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/EcomondoRimini; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/ecomondo-the-green-technologies-expo
PRESS CONTACT IEG/ECOMONDO 2026
head of media & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Pier Francesco Bellini, Marco Forcellini ; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; press office specialists: Nicoletta Evangelisti, Mirko Malgieri; media@iegexpo.it
MEDIA AGENCY IEG/ECOMONDO: Smartitaly Communications
Sara Scatena, s.scatena@smartitaly.it, mob. +39 338 7836985; Francesca Pericolo, f.pericolo@smartitaly.it, mob. +39 327 986 1860.
Stampa estera – Giacomo Tortora, +39 320 7948164 – g.tortora@smartitaly.it
This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release, does not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.