ENVIRONTEC - new exhibition at HUNGEXPO

This year, ENVIRONTEC powered by ÖKOINDUSTRIA, the International Exhibition for Environment, Wastewater Management and Sustainability, will take place for the first time at HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Centre from 1-3 October. The event is a new addition to HUNGEXPO, initiated by professionals and co-organised by the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE). The Netherlands will be the Guest of Honour of the first exhibition and present an award to companies excelling in sustainable logistics solutions at the opening ceremony.

At the new exhibition, more than 80 exhibitors from seven countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary and Switzerland) will present their activities and developments on almost 1,100 square metres of exhibition space in Pavilion C (Congress Centre) of the HUNGEXPO Congress and Exhibition Centre. The event, together with the related professional programmes, will present the environmental industry players of the East-Central Europe region on a common platform and will also offer visitors the opportunity to learn about local environmental innovations and companies that can use their technologies to enter or expand on international markets in the green transition and climate adaptation.

The event will focus on one of the most important questions of the 21st century: How can we keep our environment livable by transforming our society, economy, industrial activities, and adaptation practices, and help economic actors and decision-makers reduce the impacts of climate change and increase resilience?

Key focus areas of the exhibition

The ENVIRONTEC exhibition will cover a wide range of topics in the field of environment and economy. Including but not limited to:

• soil protection, remediation
• air-quality protection
• infrastructure development, micromobility
• circular economy, waste management
• water management, wastewater treatment
• energy efficiency, renewable energies
• conserving living water

Professional programmes organised by HAEE

The exhibition will be accompanied by professional conferences and roundtable discussions on the GreenEconomy stage, coordinated and organised by the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE)

HAEE aims to reach a broader international professional audience, as the event coincides with the Hungarian EU Presidency. This is particularly important as a series of EU legislative obligations have brought about several tasks and changes this year (and next), which require, among other things, the rapid adaptation of companies operating in the environmental industry. These include the new reusable beverage packaging system, the separate collection of household organic waste, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for more than 60,000 companies, and the new ESG law, which requires companies to identify, manage and report regularly on the sustainability risks of their operations.

As part of ENVIRONTEC, HAEE is organizing three key professional conferences. The ESG Roundtable, a highlight of the event, will provide a unique opportunity for professionals to gain insights into the latest ESG regulations and their implications for the SME sector. The conference will not only offer practical advice to help companies meet new requirements, but also present the opportunities ESG offers to gain a competitive advantage, directly from industry experts.

One of the priority topics of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2024 will be the development of an EU framework for soil protection, pollution prevention and remediation measures. In this context, the RE:BROWN – Remediation and Brownfield Investments Conference at ENVIRONTEC will be a crucial meeting point for experts in this field. The conference will feature speakers including representatives of the European Commission, prestigious international organisations, and foreign and local remediation experts.

While the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan set EU targets and push all market players towards a carbon-neutral continent, meeting the targets is challenging for the region. This is particularly true for the Balkans region, where, in many cases, the infrastructure for modern waste management and the circular economy needs to be built from the ground up. A conference, organised in professional partnership with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), will focus on the practical implementation of prevention, reuse and recovery and the demonstration of good practices. In addition to experts from the organisation, the conference will feature speakers from renowned international and national experts in circular economy and waste management, as well as many B2B meetings. From this year, our Association represents Hungary in the world organization.

The organisers of ENVIRONTEC powered by ÖKOINDUSTRIA are convinced that the event will significantly contribute to increasing the competitiveness of Hungarian green industry companies, improving Hungary's environmental status, and promoting the circular economy. By showcasing the best of the Hungarian environmental industry and mobilising professional visitors, the event has the potential to inspire significant positive change in the industry and beyond.

The Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE) is a paramount environmental protection advocacy organisation. With its 270 members, it covers the whole spectrum of environmental activities and has been coordinating the Hungarian environmental protection, nature conservation, and environmental industry for more than 30 years. The Association is an outstanding partner of policymakers and almost all economic actors, and its 12 working groups bring together experts from various sectors, ensuring the event's comprehensive and professional approach.

The Association strongly emphasises the green industry's workforce, organising conferences, professional days, career guidance lectures and running the sector's Green Jobs Portal. In addition, it runs large-scale information and awareness-raising programmes on the environment, which contribute to protecting the environment at home and in the region - from the classroom to the decision-makers. On the expo's opening day, their national online Knowledge Base will be launched, and a new collection of awareness-raising green programmes will be presented with a new on-demand website.

Guest of honour and professional partners

The Netherlands will be the guest of honour at the first ENVIRONTEC powered by ÖKOINDUSTRIA, with eleven companies from the country presenting a range of innovations. The economic section of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will focus on four priority sectors: agriculture, circular economy, life sciences and health, sustainable mobility, and smart logistics.

"In recent years, we have organised trade missions in all four sectors, and we are proud of our solid network of business contacts and good relations with local economic actors in these fields. We see the expo as a good opportunity to deepen our relations with our Hungarian partners further and share our knowledge on green and sustainable solutions to combat climate change," says the Embassy in a statement issued for the exhibition. "Our stand's eleven Dutch exhibitors offer sustainable solutions to our global challenges in several sectors. Allow us to introduce them!

CTP is an industrial real estate developer committed to sustainability and pursues ESG guidelines in developing industrial ecosystems.

Ecoplant is an innovative solar tracking system manufacturer. Its product is multifunctional (solar panel, charger, battery) and has an eye-catching design.

With decades of expertise in plastic recycling and processing, GreenWavePlastics is helping public and private sector organisations transition to a circular and sustainable economy.

Growing Paper transforms otherwise disposable paper products, such as business cards and invitations, into sustainable products by inserting flower seeds into the fibres.

ING is a renowned financial services provider that uses its financing and advisory products and services to actively support its customers in the transition to new sustainable business models.

KARA offers tailor-made heating solutions for urban and industrial process heating by manufacturing biomass combustion equipment.

The Lean & Green Program, founded in the Netherlands and currently counting 600 members, aims to support member companies in reducing their carbon emissions in their logistics and storage processes.

Offering a sustainable raw material alternative, Miscancell uses the low-maintenance Miscanthus Giganteus plant for existing products and processes.

Philips is a leading technology company focused on improving people's health and achieving better outcomes across the healthcare spectrum - from healthy living and prevention to diagnosis, treatment and home care.

Prince Kuntstof Infra manufactures and supplies innovative, certified thermoplastic piping systems for gas, water, wastewater, and biogas plants.

SLAMDAM is a patented and innovative mobile flood protection dam that ensures rapid deployment in emergency situations.

At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Désirée Bonis will present the 2024 Tulip Award for Sustainability to the competition winner, recognising companies excelling in sustainable logistics solutions," concludes the Embassy's statement.

Dr Anikó Raisz, State Secretary for Environmental Policy and Circular Economy at the Ministry of Energy of Hungary, is the chief patron of the ENVIRONTEC exhibition;

Other patrons:

Dr. Barbara Botos, Ambassador at Large for Climate at the Ministry of Energy,

Csaba Kőrösi, Strategic Director of the Blue Planet Foundation

and Dr. László Parragh, Chairman of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  

Other professional partners of the exhibition are the Hungarian Ministry of Energy, Envirotis Holding, the Hungarian Water Utility Association (MaVíz), the Hungarian Waste Management Federation (HOSZ), KÖVET Association, Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) and Messe & Marketing Michael Pittscheidt.

Several Hungarian higher education institutions will also be present at the exhibition, including MATE, the University of Pannonia, Edutus University, the University of Óbuda and the University of Miskolc.

Opening ceremony and opening day highlights

The ENVIRONTEC Awards, which the jury will hand out to the companies that have developed the most innovative products and services to meet the challenges of the future, will be presented during the opening ceremony.  As a further message of the exhibition, the prize will be the work of a local glass artist who has created professional awards from recycled glass.

Also at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Désirée Bonis will present the 2024 Tulip Award for Sustainability to the winner of their competition (see above).

The closing chord of the opening ceremony will be a keynote speech by Csaba Kőrösi, Strategic Director of the Blue Planet Foundation and President of the 77th UN General Assembly.

Detailed programme of the exhibition and other information: https://environtec.hu/en/programs/program-offer/

The ENVIRONTEC exhibition will take place at the HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Centre, and visitors can enter directly from Albertirsai út to Pavilion C (Congress Centre).