Managing Director of Promosalon Nigeria, Mr. Akin Akinbola
Crusoe Osagie
As ecology-friendly industries converge in Lyon, France for this year’s Pollutec Eurexpo exhibitions, the focus will be on latest innovations and solutions from Research and Development (R&D) for companies on methods of production with a lower impact on the environment and the climate.
The organisers stated that Pollutec has gradually established itself as the world’s eco-industries reference show over the past 25 years. And today it serves as a unique forum for research and innovation in the fields of resource diversification and improved product and process performance. As a result, over 2,400 exhibitors from all over the world will be exhibiting at Lyon Eurexpo (France) from November 27 to 30.
Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Managing Director of Promosalon Nigeria, Mr. Akin Akonbola stressed that the show would also host high-level business meetings such as the international b2fair business meeting platform organised by the Chamber of Commerce of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This offers the opportunity to arrange up to ten meetings per day with partners from various countries.
“Within the framework of its partnership with the ADEA (the Agency for Enterprise Development in Africa), Pollutec will provide an extension for the business meetings being organised at the 12th Eurafric Forum on ‘Water and energy in Africa’, which runs from 21st to 23rd November in Lyons, in order to encourage contacts between African delegations who are already present and exhibitors at the show. A conference on African models of energy exploitation and local governance is also planned,” Akinbola said.
According to him “this year’s show is principally characterised by the marked emphasis on two highly topical themes ‘the sustainable city and sustainable industry’ as well as the presence of Argentina as country of the year, the staging of international business meetings, and presentation of a series of prizes and awards at the show.”
Akinbola, who is coordinating the entire Nigerian participation at the event, stressed that more than ever before, innovations at Pollutec 2012 reconcile economic and environmental performance and the majority of them reflect the major efforts being undertaken to diversify resources (search for new sources, improved separation of materials, ever more advances in relation to exploiting waste) and by a systematic search for optimised process performance, energy efficiency, eco-design, energy recovery and leak prevention.
“Alongside this, two further trends are apparent this year: process linkage and a multi-function approach (“2 in 1” or even “3 in 1”). Finally, ease of use, a reduction in maintenance requirements as well as personal safety all remain key aspects of innovation in 2012,” he said.
The organisers further explained that building on its varied range of solutions for a sustainable city, Pollutec has decided to highlight the theme this year, by creating a sustainable city and smart urban grids space involving numerous experts who are specialists in grids, the recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles or the pneumatic collection of waste.
They informed that the show would also host a dedicated forum organised in partnership with Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) that will look at such questions as energy efficiency, sustainable building, ecological engineering and the recovery of urban wasteland.
“Starting on the first day of the show, there will be a major international symposium, Sustainable City Solutions, which will present the best solutions for delivering the goal of a sustainable city. It will do so through a series of themed lectures that will look at adapting the existing, technological and organizational synergies, cooperation and acceptability as well as organizing visits to model sites in the Rhône-Alp regions,” they said.
The organisers emphasised that the show would present feedback from innovative solutions that have actually been implemented together with examples of systematic approaches or of eco-design, and it will also look at the finance and support mechanisms that are already available.
“The Research, Innovation and Finance sector will again shine the spotlight on the advances in current R&D projects and will present guidance solutions being offered by public or private sector organisations. Several major research establishments had already confirmed their presence by early September. The 14 French competitiveness clusters belonging to the Ecotech Network will once again be presenting the joint projects in the dedicated Ecotech Pavilion,” they said.
They also disclosed that LeCleantech would be back for the second time and would host 300 entrepreneurs, start-ups, industrial decision makers and investors focusing on the latest trends and business opportunities in the market.