Be it plastics, building materials, or water: sustainable resource management solutions are essential for environmental and climate protection—and all were found at IFAT Munich 2022.
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The World’s Leading Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste, and Raw Materials Management – IFAT Munich 2022 – took place from May 30 to June 3, 2022, in Munich, Germany.
A huge exhibition concentrated on knowledge transfer, and networking—IFAT Munich 2022 served as pure inspiration and drives the sustainable transformation of industries and climate-resilient communities. The show has approached pre-coronavirus levels—reflecting the great potential of environmental technologies and confirming its position as the world’s leading platform for water, sewage, waste, and raw materials management, said Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München.
Some 2 984 exhibitors from 59 countries and around 119 000 visitors from 155 countries confirmed the fair as the most important global platform for environmental technologies.
The high international attendance at the trade show during this challenging time was impressive. It’s great to see IFAT making such a strong restart, as it is a very important, sustainable driver for the circular economy and the environmental industry, said Dr Johannes F. Kirchhoff, Chairman of the IFAT Munich Advisory Board.
2 984 exhibitors from 59 countries and regions (2018: 3,305/58) and around 119 000 visitors from 155 countries and regions (2018: 142 472/162) traveled to Munich.
Half of the exhibitors and visitors came from abroad. While numbers were down in comparison with the previous record-setting event in 2018, the major difference was that the strong participation from China and Russia in 2018 was missing.
Focus on closed cycles
The circular economy took up more space than ever at the trade show.
A properly functioning circular economy saves primary resources, reduces dependencies, and makes a significant contribution to protecting the climate and biodiversity. My policy aims to help strengthen the circular economy at all stages of its cycle and make environmental protection an appealing business model, said German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke at the opening.
A total of four special areas were specifically dedicated to the circular economy, for example, plastics and building materials.
For water, as well, the focus was on sustainable use and closed cycles, for example in industrial production—and in cities, which must use smart water management to prepare for extreme drought as well as heavy rainfall.
I am very impressed with the size of the show, the number of visitors, and the unparalleled expert platform, and I am delighted that we could have a number of relevant discussions with customers and partners, said Anja Eimer, Head of Water & Waste Water at Siemens.
The trade fair showcased the enabling technologies, the conference program featured more than 300 experts sharing their knowledge, and there were plenty of live demonstrations and guided solution tours.
A Start-up Area gathered 49 start-ups from 16 nations. There were 15 international joint pavilions from Europe as well as Japan, Canada, South Korea, and the United States.
High-ranking political representatives traveled to the event, including from Egypt, Belgium, and Malaysia, as well as the environment ministers of Brazil and Singapore and many international delegations.
IFAT has not lost its attractiveness for the circular economy branch and, in the future, will continue to uphold its importance as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector, ended Max Köttgen, Member of the Management Board at REMONDIS.
The next IFAT takes place in Munich, Germany from May 13–17, 2024.
