At the event organized by IEG in November, industry and research will discuss packaging, chemical recycling and European regulations for the plastics supply chain
Plastic recycling has become a critical focal point for the ecological transition. A ubiquitous material, indispensable to many industries, but still difficult to tap efficiently after use. A great deal of plastic ends up burned or dispersed, while only a portion goes back into circulation, often with insufficient quality to meet the requirements of the most demanding industries.
In Rimini, Ecomondo 2025 – a benchmark for 28 editions for those operating in the Green and Circular Economy – will address the problem from multiple angles. From 4th to 7th November, the international trade show organized by Italian Exhibition Group will offer a comprehensive overview of technologies for managing and exploiting plastic waste.
Packaging and circular economy: new rules are needed
Plastics play a strategic role in the Waste as Resource district at Ecomondo. Sorting, washing and shredding technologies go hand in hand with digital traceability systems and material exchange platforms. The goal is clear: to make recycling not only possible, but also competitive, replicable, and able to produce new, high-standard raw material.
The issue will be explicitly addressed at the opening day’s event entitled, “Plastic in the circular economy and in the packaging sector,” organized by Ecomondo’s Technical Scientific Committee, ISPRA, CONAI and PlasticsEurope Italia. The focus will be on one of the most urgent challenges: increasing the share of recycled plastics in packaging in order to promote a low-carbon circular economy through eco-design strategies that ensure greater product durability, reusability, upgradeability and reparability, increased use of recycled materials and greater recyclability at end of life, with the consequent reduction in environmental impacts and waste generation.
The context is made even more complex by evolving European directives. The new packaging regulation introduces ambitious constraints and targets, requiring manufacturers to use traceable and compliant recycled materials. To thoroughly analyse the entire supply chain, the visitor experience will be extended by thematic tours. These guided tours, which can be conveniently booked online via the Ecomondo website or app, will offer specific insights into crucial topics such as water, soil, innovation and, of course, plastics, allowing visitors to explore the implications of the new regulations.
The strategic process of the States General of the Green Economy at Ecomondo
The States General of the Green Economy is an event held in Rimini in conjunction with Ecomondo. Initiated in 2012, they are promoted by the National Council for the Green Economy, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and under the patronage of the European Commission. The main objective is to guide the Italian economy towards sustainable development by offering solutions to the economic and climate crisis and outlining a programmatic platform for the green economy in the country through the analysis of potential obstacles and the policies required to improve the ecological quality of strategic sectors.
An ecosystem in seven sectors
Plastics come within a broader vision which Ecomondo represents by organizing its offer into seven interconnected sectors. Waste as Resource is joined by Water Cycle & Blue Economy, which focuses on water resource treatment and integrated management; Bioenergy & Agriculture, which connects agricultural waste and energy production; Circular & Regenerative Bio-Economy, with a focus on biomaterials and industrial bioproducts; Site & Soil Restoration, dedicated to the environmental recovery of compromised soils; Earth Observation & Environmental Monitoring, where sensor technology, data and observation systems can be found; and lastly, SAL.VE, the area specifically for urban sanitation vehicles, organized in collaboration with ANFIA.
These are flanked by vertical districts on textiles, paper, circular cities, marine economy, and innovation. An articulate panorama, where each supply chain finds connections and opportunities, as at every edition of IEG’s Rimini event. Even plastics, which, precisely from these connections, could find a way out of the logic of linear consumption.
