Ecomondo 2025, Europe’s leading international trade event for the green, blue, and circular economies, closed in Rimini, Italy, last week (7th November) with a clear message: ecological transition is no longer a regional pursuit but a global obligation. Organized by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), the event brought together governments, scientists, and businesses to evaluate practical solutions for sustainable growth.
This 28th edition registered a 7 percent increase in total attendance compared to last year, with foreign participation rising by 10 percent. Over 1,700 companies exhibited, 18 percent of them international, while more than 600 journalists from across 65 countries covered the proceedings. The figures highlight the growing scale of the conversation around sustainability and its position at the centre of global economic policy.
Italian Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, described Ecomondo as a demonstration of how innovation can drive sustainability. “There is a lot of talk about rare earths and critical raw materials, but the largest deposit we have is our waste,” he said during his tour of the exhibition halls. His comment underlined the central theme of this year’s event: building value chains that minimize waste and maximize resource recovery.
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The event’s increasing focus on Africa reflected a widening recognition that the continent’s environmental choices will have a decisive impact on the world’s climate and economic future. Africa currently generates around 180 million tones of waste each year, according to UNEP estimates, and this figure could double by 2030.
However, less than 12 percent of that waste is formally recycled. In contrast, Europe recycles more than half of its total waste output. This gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity, one that Ecomondo 2025 sought to address through new frameworks for cooperation and technology exchange.
Several initiatives during the event targeted Africa directly. The fifth Africa Green Growth Forum examined strategies for clean energy access and circular economy development under Italy’s Mattei Plan. Delegations from Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and several Sub-Saharan countries engaged with European institutions and private firms to explore partnerships in renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable water systems. The “Mission 300” programme, aimed at expanding access to renewable power across Africa, was among the focal points of the discussion.
Africa’s growing role was also visible in the Innovation District, where 40 start-ups presented new technologies for ecological transition. Twenty of these firms came from Morocco and Tunisia, supported by the Italian Trade Agency under the Luca Attanasio Lab Innovates for Africa project. Their work ranged from solar-powered irrigation technologies to organic waste recycling for agricultural inputs. These initiatives signaled a shift in perception: Africa is not merely an aid recipient but an emerging partner in technological innovation for sustainability.
Across the event, more than 200 sessions were held, 70 of them organized by Ecomondo’s Technical and Scientific Committee led by Professor Fabio Fava. The sessions explored a wide range of topics including water reuse, bioenergy, circular textiles, sustainable finance, and the role of data technologies in environmental monitoring. A dedicated focus on the Mediterranean and African regions emphasized cross-border collaboration in building resilient low-carbon economies.
For Africa, the implications of the Rimini discussions are concrete. The continent holds 40 percent of global solar energy potential yet contributes less than 2 percent of installed solar capacity. Its cities face growing waste management costs, estimated at $8 billion annually, while importing over $10 billion in raw materials that could be locally sourced through recycling and circular systems. The solutions on display at Ecomondo, from bioenergy conversion models to green infrastructure financing, offer pathways to reverse these inefficiencies.
Economic opportunity remains central to the ecological transition. Analysis presented at the event suggested that if African countries were to integrate just 40 percent of current waste flows into structured recycling systems, they could create more than four million jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 60 million tones per year. This aligns with the broader agenda of linking climate action to industrial and employment growth, a theme that dominated several high-level panels.
Beyond the numbers, Ecomondo 2025 underscored the importance of policy consistency. Speakers from the European Commission and several development agencies emphasized that no amount of innovation can succeed without a regulatory framework that supports recycling industries, renewable investment, and environmental data transparency. This message resonates strongly in Africa, where weak policy enforcement and fragmented infrastructure often hinder green investment despite strong political will.
As the event closed, organizers confirmed that Ecomondo 2026 will return to Rimini next November. But the outcomes from this year’s edition are expected to extend far beyond Italy. The partnerships forged and the technologies exchanged will continue shaping the next phase of Africa’s green transition, one grounded in collaboration, not dependency, and built on the shared understanding that sustainability has become the foundation of global economic security.
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