Billed as “Europe’s largest event for resource efficiency and waste management”, RWM hits the NEC once again on 15-17 September, this time co-located with a group of sector- specific exhibitions – the Energy, Renewables and Water events
THIS year’s keynote by Karl Falkenberg, the European Commission’s Environment Director General, anticipates the October release of revisions to the commission’s Circular Economy package action plan. His talk headlines a long list of speakers, appearing in themed ‘theatres’ dedicated to topics like the circular economy, energy from waste and local authority activities.
Russell Bacon of event organiser i2i Events Group said: “RWM 2015 will provide important intelligence for the development of a circular economy as well as practical UK and international examples.
We are delighted that Mr Karl Falkenberg will be speaking at this key event at such a crucial time for Europe’s sustainable, and circular, future.”
Mr Falkenberg has an instrumental role in developing the revised Circular Economy package for Europe. The consultation on pro- posed measures reviews matters such as production and consump- tion, markets for secondary raw materials, sector-specific actions and enabling factors for the circular economy, including investment and incentives.
At RWM 2015 the Circular Econ- omy Connect (CEC) theatre is backed by industry partner SITA and key media partner Guardian Sustainable Business. It will be chaired by environmental journalist Maxine Perella and will host presen- tations and debates featuring firms that have already adopted circular economy principles. Speakers will include Helga Vanthournout of Mc-Kinsey & Company; Ed Gillespie of Futerra; eco-designer Oliver Heath; and Viridor CEO, Ian McAulay.
The Energy from Waste theatre has the support of lead sponsor Mitsubishi Electric, and is to ad- dress topics including UK and Eu- ropean government policy and in- vestment; gasification technology; RDF exporting to mainland Europe; and commercial and industrial waste.
Speakers who will share their expertise about energy from waste include Arthur Kay co-founder and CEO of green energy firm Biobean; Roy Hathaway, European Policy Advisor at the Environmental Services Association; Birger Lauersen, Manager of International Affairs at the Danish District Heating Association; Dick Hoogendoorn, Managing Director, Dutch Waste Management Association; Pandora Rene, Senior Technical Advisor, Environment Agency; and Dominic Noel-Johnson, Vice President, Green Investment Bank.
There will also be a Local Authority theatre with scheduled topics to include reducing waste crime, waste regulations, collection schemes, resident engagement, plastics recycling and minimising food waste.
This year the show’s organisers will also be working with carbon reduction consultants Carbon Clear to assess the event’s carbon foot- print and offset unavoidable car- bon impacts.
RWM’s organisers say the event will provide practical insight into recycling and waste management issues and best practice exam- ples of operational efficiencies. “It provides an unrivalled opportunity to share advancements within the resource management arena,” says a press release, “with masses of technical solutions, innovative business models, insight and ad- vice”. Industry innovators attending RWM 2015 will also benefit from the involvement of key content partner, Zero Waste Scotland. Other part- ners include SITA, Novelis, Viridor, Stobart Biomass, TOMRA Sorting and technical partner Stadler.
Launch pad for entrepreneurs
The show, supported strategically by new chairman, Barry Dennis and 22 RWM Ambassadors from brands including Nestlé and Uni- lever is introducing a dedicated area on the show floor, the RWM Launchpad. This enables start- ups with game-changing business innovations to showcase products and services to an industry audience of over 13,000 professionals. In advance of the show, entrepreneurs have another op- portunity to grow their business through RWM’s partners, Virgin Media Business. The ‘Pitch to Rich’ campaign enables organisations to present business ideas to a panel of judges including Richard Branson.
Other apparent must-see’s of the show include a handling and logistics zone, showcasing a broad range of bespoke materials handling and logistics services and solutions to help companies build and manage world-class supply chains and improve operational, management and strategic performance.
A Recycling and reprocessing technologies zone will look at the environmental and financial benefits of recycling.
A large range of products and services will be on show to help organisations achieve zero waste to landfill.
There will be ample opportunity to review the latest machinery and equipment. From commercial waste containers to sorting systems and heavy plant equipment, hundreds of suppliers will be exhibiting their latest developments.
Also exhibiting will be professional services from consulting on resource management plans to recruiting the right people to implement them.
Sector-specific events
The co-located Energy, Renewables and Water Events will also feature more than 60 free- to-attend CPD sessions for these sectors. The Water event will be aimed at “water procurement and management for large scale indus- trial and commercial end-users”.
Visitors can use the shows to meet with industry experts and hear about the direction of new Government policy, see new product and service innovations and catch up with the latest information on a range of issues, including ESOS compliance, on-site renewables best practice, water industry deregulation in 2017 and others.
“The landscape for energy, renewables and water manage- ment and procurement is shifting and set to see further changes ahead with a new Conservative Government now at the helm,” commented Russell Bacon of i2i Events Group. “With this is mind, it’s important for end users from industry and commerce to attend and hear what Government Minis- ters have to say.
The events will also provide a source of practical information on the key issues likely to impact on their business in the months and years ahead and offer a great op- portunity to discover new ways for buying and managing utilities more efficiently in the future”.
More than 60 free-to-attend CPD sessions are scheduled to feature at the event across four show the- atres in what will prove to be one of the major attractions for visitors.
Confirmed speakers include Marks & Spencer, Bentley Motors, Land Securities, Greggs PLC, Nestle and Tesco.
New to the event is Energy Connect, a facilitated networking service, providing exclusive one to one meetings between the shows visitors and exhibitors.
For more details on how to be part of Energy Connect contact Sunny Patel on 0203 033 2548.
Also featured will be more than 190 exhibitors including Corona Energy, Philips Lighting, BIU British Independent Utilities, British Gas Business, Haven Power, Airedale International Air Conditioning Ltd, United Utilities, Severn Trent Services, Siemens Financial Services, Business Stream Services (A Scottish water company), Waterscan, SSE, and National Grid.
• For more details visit the RWM event’s web site www.rwmexhibition.com
