Every year, at the beginning of November, Rimini becomes the place where the ecological transition stops being theoretical and becomes something you can see and touch: pavilions, technologies, companies, startups, ideas, projects and people working concretely to transform the way we produce, consume and manage resources.

The 2025 edition of Ecomondo, which closed on 7 November, confirmed a clear trend: the ecological transition continues to advance even when global geopolitics seems to be working against it. It is no coincidence that attendance this year exceeded that of 2024 (+7 per cent), and international visitors grew by ten per cent. Despite tensions on global markets, demand for sustainable solutions shows no signs of slowing down.

Among the pavilions: where sustainability stops being an abstract concept

At Ecomondo, the word "transition" takes on a tangible form: repowering of photovoltaic panels, systems that recover precious materials from smartphones, urban cleaning vehicles that look as though they have arrived from the cities of the future.
The 2025 edition further expanded the exhibition space, organised into seven thematic areas spanning water management, circular economy, bioeconomy and renewable energy.

Among the new features was the return of Sal.ve, the exhibition dedicated to waste collection and urban cleaning vehicles. A sector often perceived as merely "service-oriented", but one that in reality defines an essential part of urban quality: clean streets, the ability to separate and recover materials, the way cities actually function — all of this is part of the daily life of the spaces we inhabit.

The area dedicated to electronic waste was also heavily visited. In the first eight months of 2025, Italy collected over 236,000 tonnes of domestic WEEE, a figure that reflects both the pace of consumption and the need to treat these devices as genuine urban mines. Yet collection and recycling still fall far short of their potential: today we stand at around 15 per cent. A reminder of this was already present at the entrance, in the form of the Weee-start installation, which highlighted the impact of WEEE and the need to develop more effective recovery systems.

The Innovation District, meanwhile, showcased the sector's most dynamic side: startups specialising in material traceability, satellite monitoring of coastal ecosystems, bioplastics derived from plant waste and much more. These are signals of a sustainability that is no longer an isolated niche, but a cross-cutting driver running through research, industry and technology.

Stati generali della green economy: how the Italian system is really doing

Each year, Ecomondo also hosts the Stati generali della green economy, the two-day event that takes stock of the Italian transition's "state of health". The 2025 edition centred on a straightforward question: how do you keep moving forward when the energy and geopolitical context is unstable?

The answer comes from data that, in many cases, paint a picture of a country building solid foundations. For instance, in 2024 electricity production from renewable sources reached 49 per cent of the national total, while on the circular economy front Italy continues to be a European benchmark: the recycling rate reached 86 per cent of total waste, confirming what has become a structural record.

Shadow areas also emerge, however: in 2024 emissions fell by a quarter compared with the previous year, and meeting the European targets for 2030 will require a decisive acceleration. Energy consumption is rising again (+1.5 per cent), as is land consumption, while mobility remains one of the most critical sticking points: Italy is among the European countries with the highest number of cars per capita, and the share of electric vehicles (7.6 per cent) is still well below the EU average.

The value of the fair: listening to those who are actually driving the transition

The strength of Ecomondo also lies in its role as a place for dialogue: people from technical, scientific, business, institutional and startup backgrounds come together in the same spaces, bringing different skills and perspectives.

This year, the Vip lounge was one of the focal points of this exchange, hosting a wide variety of organisations: from consortia active in material supply chains to companies engaged in water management, through to projects focused on sustainable mobility, chemical recycling and industrial sustainability.

In this context, the presence of LifeGate also played a key role, providing the opportunity to cover the fair through the voices of its protagonists: stories, experiences and visions that make it possible to read the ecological transition not only through data and indicators, but through the choices of those who advance it every day.

The conversations gathered in the Vip lounge reveal the variety of approaches that coexist within the transition and offer a direct insight into how businesses, researchers and institutions are interpreting change.

When we talk about transition, communication matters too

Another central theme was the role of communication. Reporting on sustainability accurately means giving people the tools to understand, choose and evaluate, creating a shared language between citizens, businesses and institutions. Among the various moments involving LifeGate, there was also the Forum della buona comunicazione, where Giovanni Mori – host of the LifeGate podcast News dal pianeta Terra – took part in the roundtable "Unmasking false dilemmas: a team effort".

In his contribution, he urged audiences to move beyond the still-widespread idea that sustainability and competitiveness are two opposing paths. "Living better and having a habitable planet is not a dilemma," he said, stressing the importance of pairing data with stories. The Forum debate, promoted by Ecomondo together with Ferpi, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Ordine dei giornalisti dell'Emilia-Romagna, brought back to the fore an increasingly evident need: communication that is rigorous, transparent and capable of building trust.

What Ecomondo 2025 leaves us with

The 2025 edition of Ecomondo leaves a clear message: behind technologies, plants and industrial models, the ecological transition concerns very concrete dimensions of our daily lives. Electronic waste, water, energy, mobility, consumption choices — these are elements that, often without our realising it, influence costs, quality of life and future prospects.

At the same time, the fair reflects the image of a transition advancing within real complexity. Available technologies are evolving, businesses are experimenting with new models, industrial supply chains are reorganising, and territories are seeking answers to increasingly evident climate phenomena. To consolidate progress, however, stable policies, targeted investment, and a vision capable of holding together decarbonisation, the circular economy, protection of natural resources, and social innovation will all be needed.

Ecomondo does not offer immediate solutions, but it fulfils an essential role: bringing different stakeholders together, making the state of the art visible, and clarifying where the transition is working and where it instead requires a further step. What is certain is that the transition is already under way and is redefining the way we live and produce; understanding it – and steering it – will be the challenge of the years ahead.