Ecomondo 2026 closes with 14% more international visitors

Ecomondo has closed its 29th edition at Rimini Expo Centre with positive results. The event, organised by Italian Exhibition Group, has developed over 29 years into a global benchmark for the green, blue and circular economy. This year it recorded a 1% increase in domestic visitors and a 14% rise in international visitors. Over 1,800 brands exhibited, 21% of them from abroad, on 171,000 m2 of exhibition space. A total of 651 journalists were accredited, 15% of whom came from abroad. The next edition, in 2027, will mark the event's 30th anniversary.

From Tuesday 3 November, the Expo Centre was the focal point of the ecological transition, where environmental policies were translated into innovative solutions and technologies for industries and for more resilient, circular and competitive economic systems. In the Innovation District, 20 innovative start-ups and SMEs presented projects and solutions intended to speed up the ecological transition and the development of the circular economy.

International reach beyond the Euro-Mediterranean area

Ecomondo 2026 further expanded its international reach with 1,300 hosted buyers and delegations involved in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency for the promotion and internationalisation of Italian companies abroad (ICE). There were also 14 international collectives from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Germany, Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.

For the first time in its history, the event hosted a partner country: Mexico, one of Latin America's most promising economies, which is reshaping its development model around the principles of the circular economy. The partnership will be further strengthened with the next edition of Ecomondo Mexico, scheduled for 20–22 April 2027 at Expo Guadalajara.

Africa was again at the centre of Ecomondo's internationalisation strategy, with the launch of the Africa Investment Hub to encourage business and networking with associations across the continent. A new feature of the 2026 edition was a delegation of 11 Brazilian start-ups operating in the agri-food sector.

In total, Ecomondo facilitated meetings between companies, institutions, associations, researchers and innovators, supporting the exchange of technology, knowledge and skills through over 10,000 business matchmaking sessions.

Policies, research and innovation for the green transition

The programme included 200 events, 70 of them organised by the International Technical Scientific Committee chaired by Professor Fabio Fava. They focused on European policies, research and innovation for the main industrial sectors, presenting the ecological transition not only in environmental terms but also as a concrete transformation of production systems that combines sustainability, growth and competitiveness.

Resource efficiency, covering textiles, water, plastics, packaging and paper recycling, was at the heart of the programme, together with sustainable finance, the blue economy, healthy and circular cities, bioenergy and the regenerative bioeconomy. Discussions also addressed developments in the European regulatory framework, climate change and adaptation, ecosystem restoration and international cooperation in the Mediterranean basin and Africa. The latter was the subject of the sixth edition of the Africa Green Growth Forum, organised in collaboration with the Task Force for the Implementation of the Presidential Office's Mattei Plan, Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo and RES4Africa.

The 15th edition of the States General of the Green Economy was organised at Ecomondo by the Foundation for Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, under the patronage of the European Commission and the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy. It provided an overview of the strategic issues facing the green economy in Italy and in other regions, particularly China, the USA, Europe and Africa. The first plenary session, held on the opening day with the presentation of the 2026 State of the Green Economy Report, outlined a positive trend for Italy, albeit with some complexities. The international session on Wednesday 4 November, held in collaboration with Italy for Climate, showed that the road to a global green economy remains uneven, with periods of easy progress alternating with difficult phases.

Ecomondo will return to Italian Exhibition Group's Rimini Expo Centre from 9 to 12 November 2027 with an edition including new features to celebrate its 30th anniversary.