Innovation and International: the two highlights of Pollutec 2016
Pollutec 2016 closed its doors on 2nd December. Already acknowledged for the breadth of the themes that it addresses, together with the quality of its exhibitors and the side events on offer, the most recent show stood out for the unparalleled spotlight it shone on innovation across all sectors of the ecoindustry and for the strong international presence, which was the result of a lot of hard work undertaken by the show and its partners.
Innovation on show down every aisle Although eco-innovation has been the raison d’être of Pollutec right from the outset, this year the focus was on it more than ever before, with the aim of making it accessible to the largest possible number. First and foremost, this was achieved through the launch of the Inno Spots, dedicated spaces that brought together innovative organizations working in the same field. It was a highly successful experiment and attendees flocked to each of these spots. The Innovation Showcase, organized in conjunction with PEXE-the French Cleantech Network, was another major initiative that highlighted this theme. In the first instance this involved shortlisting twenty companies for the market potential of the innovation that they had announced they would be showing at Pollutec. This was followed by a pitch session to a jury of customers and buyers attending the show, out of which three winners emerged. The three winners(1) were in fact highly representative of Pollutec’s major sectors—both historic and more recent—water (instrumentation), the exploitation of waste for energy, and energy (storage and control). As always, innovation was to be found throughout the show: on the stands themselves, featured in the conference programme and during the awards ceremonies. This year’s leading trends included the integration of digital technology into eco-solutions of all kinds (and no longer just in the field of energy), the upstream prevention of marine pollution, water efficiency in industry, waste optimization and exploitation in order to maximize the recovery of materials, etc. In parallel, Pollutec also featured innovations that were more closely linked with questions such as the circular economy, demonstrating that eco-industries are increasingly addressing these new challenges. This was particularly apparent during the ‘New urbanization and circular economy’ and ‘How can cities reinvent themselves to put in place circular economy frameworks?’ plenary sessions. The latter was organized in conjunction with Grand Lyon as a forerunner of a major city summit that Lyons is planning to hold during Pollutec 2018(2) . International cooperation at the heart of Pollutec The environment knows no frontiers but certain solutions are more suitable than others for this or that region of the world. Pollutec is fully aware of this and for many years has been developing a strategy that allows the best of what is on offer to be matched up with the various needs that have been expressed. It is this, for example, that lies behind the tremendous success enjoyed by the Stay connected ! CONTACTS: Oxygen - 47 rue Louise Michel - 92300 Levallois-Perret, France Tel : +33 (0)1.41.11.37.83 Email: pollutec@oxygen-rp.com Organised by : Vietnam, country of the year 2016 initiative as well as the Africa Space – which returned in expanded form this year – and the high profile of countries and delegations from South East Asia or Latin America. The effort to foster the forging of relationships in support of international cooperation in the environment markets relies on a close partnership with key players who are heavily involved with Pollutec’s International Committee. As a result, the show is no longer simply the capital of environment innovation but is also an acknowledged meeting point for those from different countries or regions of the world sharing similar environment problems (water or waste management, air quality, decentralized energy generation, soil remediation, ecological engineering, resource preservation/circular economy, etc.) who are looking for suitable solutions. A unique marketplace for the eco-industry In essence a trade show, Pollutec continues to promote business opportunities and, in addition to the host of contacts made at the show, major contracts were also initiated or signed over its four days. All the work to build relationships undertaken before and during the show has borne fruit, and this year it was backed up by a platform for detecting projects that attracted details of 796 projects. Proof, if proof were needed, of the vitality that characterizes eco-industry professionals as a whole and that was also to be found in every aisle of the show. This was also reflected by the large numbers taking part in the Green Days, business and expert meetings organized by the Rhône-Alpes regional CCI in conjunction with Enterprise Europe Network. The conference cycle dedicated to employment, trades and new skills in the environment, organized in partnership with Morocco’s CEF international (international training centres), was another great success. Pollutec 2016 in figures This year, Pollutec attracted 2,206 exhibitors, who came to show their solutions in all sectors of the environment. 613 foreign exhibitors were drawn from 33 countries (Europe, Canada, United States, Turkey, Tunisia, Israel, Lebanon, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam). Together with an especially rich programme of lectures, workshops and side events, this plethora of exhibitors pulled in 60,834 professionals, including 8,669 international visits (from countries and territories outside Metropolitan France ; 14%)
NEWS
