Ahead of The Greener Manufacturing Show in Cologne, 9-10 November 2022, AZoCleanTech spoke with Peter Sarno, Event Director of the show, about the push for sustainable industrial solutions.
Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role as the Event Director of The Greener Manufacturing Show?
My name is Peter Sarno. I'm the Event Director of The Greener Manufacturing Show, which is a two-day B2B conference and expo, in its second cycle. I spent many years researching the subject of sustainable manufacturing and found that there is a real appetite for greener solutions across the manufacturing industries, and so the concept for the event revealed itself.
The Greener Manufacturing Show will be hosted in Cologne this November. What does the event hope to achieve by bringing sustainable manufacturing sectors together?
What we hope to achieve is to help more companies become sustainable manufacturers. The reason for the show is that there is a clear movement towards greener practices, and meeting net-zero targets by 2030. The companies that have committed themselves to set promises have now got to figure out how they are going to achieve them. The show has been built off the back of this, to forage solutions that make companies’ lives easier and the transition towards a green and sustainable future smoother.
What are some of the technologies and solutions that will be showcased this November? Why did you choose to make these your focus?
Meeting sustainability goals for the manufacturing industries is a complex task. Companies are looking to use low-carbon footprint materials, for example, or low-carbon footprint chemicals and solvents in their processes. They are also looking to increase traceability so that they know what their suppliers are doing as well. Therefore, we are looking at software like blockchain solutions to manage this for supply chains.
On top of that, we are showcasing the obvious solutions that can help companies use less energy and less water. We have solutions for this, whether it's an energy storage solution to use more renewable electricity or energy management software that can help you pinpoint which processes are using too much energy.
The great thing about sustainability for manufacturers is that not only can it help them meet their goals, but in a lot of cases, it can actually be of commercial and financial value too.
Could you provide some examples of the industrial sectors that are represented at the show? What do you believe attracts such a broad spread of manufacturers?
The industries that are being promoted are the materials industry, software industry, and solutions like energy storage, for example.
Some of the hot industries that are under a lot of pressure now are the automotive sector, the tire manufacturing sector, and the toy industry even. There will also be representation from any industry that uses packaging.
All of these industries are facing criticism or are being pushed toward meeting their sustainability goals. That is where the interest is coming from. This is the only dedicated sustainable manufacturing expo in Europe, to act as the driving force for companies to come and join us on a single, highly accessible platform.
Automotive OEMs can come to The Greener Manufacturing Show and find out how they can reduce their energy and water consumption, as well as ways to implement new technical materials through various vehicle applications etc.
Altogether, The Greener Manufacturing Show is a comprehensive event to help companies holistically meet their sustainability goals, rather than just looking at one aspect and attracting one type of expert.
The event is co-located with the Plastic Waste Free World Conference and Expo, which is the world’s top industry event for plastic waste solutions. What is the benefit of having these two conferences side-by-side, and is there an overlap in the types of technologies and solutions that will be showcased?
Plastic Waste Free World takes a holistic approach to deal with the plastic pollution crisis. It's an event with industry solutions to free the world from plastic pollution.
Full life cycle thinking needs to go behind designing plastic products, to ensure circularity. The solutions available vary widely based on the type of application concerned.
The Greener Manufacturing Show compliments our adjoining show very well, because we have most fast-moving consumer goods industries in attendance. These industries are looking at how they can reduce their plastic footprint, as they are predominantly reliant on it for their packaging projects. The popular question they’re asking is ‘do they keep using the same solution, or is there a more circular option available?’
There's a clear crossover between the two events, which captures the common interests of our attendees at the show. Both zones will feature in one hall to make it feel like one trip-worthy event.
The Greener Manufacturing Show will host a series of speakers over the course of the event. What are some of the topics these speakers will cover, and are there any talks in particular you are looking forward to?
We have a wide array of speakers - perhaps even 140 or 150 now for the show. What's interesting is that we have two streams for Plastic Waste Free World and two for The Greener Manufacturing Show. I'm very much looking forward to the conference part of the show, which will discuss solutions that are not necessarily about obvious areas like materials but include, for example, energy storage solutions to help companies deal with their sustainability goals and meet their net-zero targets.
One company in particular I'm looking forward to hearing from is called Energy Nest. They have a very clever heat capture solution that can retain low-temperature heat energy from manufacturing processes and turn it back into cleaner energy. It's a very clever and unique system from what I can understand, and those kinds of technologies are game changers.
We also have many start-up companies speaking at the event with exciting new ideas and opportunities for the industry to transform completely.
Another company to look out for in our fashion and textiles stream is called Natural Fiber Welding. They are responsible for creating new fibers and materials for applications from 100% nature-based nutrients that are not reinforced at all by any petrochemical or non-natural material solution. Not only that, but the material is actually available for industry and is scalable as well. This factor is perhaps most significant because there are plenty of sustainable solutions out there, but to actually make it happen and make it scalable, affordable, and usable for the industry is by far the biggest challenge.
BIO.NRW, a biotech company and official partner of the event, will be hosting workshops over the course of the show. How does biotechnology and the bioeconomy fit with the principles of greener manufacturing and the sectors showcased at the conference?
BIO.NRW has been a great support to The Greener Manufacturing Show. They are the region's biotechnology cluster, so they are linked with hundreds of companies in the region that are in the bio-economy and the biotechnology space. They are a cluster organization that is linked with thousands of companies worldwide (hundreds within Germany), and they are a melting pot for new innovation when it comes to bio-based ingredients solutions for industry and manufacturing. This is why we're working with them - they have lots of interesting companies that we can get involved with.
At the event they have a selection of companies that they're working with that they're going to be promoting in the exhibition. On top of this, they are running a workshop and networking opportunity called the 'Home of BioEconomy', and all of the speakers there are excellent.
We have a keynote speaker called Michael Brandkamp, who is the Founder and General Manager of the European Circular Bio-Economy Fund. He will be discussing both the prospect of fundraising for the companies in this space and what the future holds for the bioeconomy. This thought-provoking session will take place on Day 1 at 11:00 AM in the center of the Exhibition Hall, 10.1.
Another talk to watch out for on Day 2 at 11:40 AM will be delivered by a company called Fibrothelium in the same program, on the subject of new high-tech materials such as nature-based silk products and naturally perfected materials for high-tech applications. They have taken the idea of spider silk and used it to make nature-based products in a synthetic environment.
Why do you believe in-person trade shows and conferences are important to fields such as greener manufacturing?
It goes back to our ethos as an organiser. At Trans-Global Events, we specialise in sustainable solution events for industry. Our focus is on the people and to answer the challenges they’re facing so they can take meaningful action. A very important way to do this is for people to meet face-to-face and demonstrate their willingness to make these changes, move forward, and build new projects.
So, the fast-moving trade fair space is incredibly important because of all of those factors. Plus, you won’t get anywhere near the same amount of activity and engagement outside of a physical, 100% in-person event. We do it this way because it offers literally hundreds of interesting talks for people to come and attend as well as companies and solutions to interact with.
Register to Attend The Greener Manufacturing Show Here
The only way for professionals to keep up in a fast-moving industry such as this is to visit an efficient space to find out as much as you can quickly, which is what you can achieve at The Greener Manufacturing Show. It’s the only way to receive the newest released solutions first, by the people who care most about your sustainability challenges.
How do you anticipate the show growing and evolving year-on-year?
The show will grow, there's no doubt about that. Our second cycle is about to begin, and we’ve grown it in size by 40% from year one to year two. I can see this happening quite easily again next year. The industry wants this. Everybody that is making a product wants to do it more sustainably than ever before, whether for personal reasons or because of legislation or consumer demand. There’s a great undeniable need for a show such as ours.
So, I know over the next five years the show will continue to evolve, because the issue of sustainability is so complex that it's going to take over a decade for companies to meet their final goals, if you can ever meet that final goal. That's why there's such a big growth pattern for the event. As I say, the main driving force is the wants and needs of industry, which is largely due to consumer and governmental pressure.
As this is such a fast-moving space, we will be running the show annually in Europe and also in North America. Our next in-person event will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, 11-12 October, 2023. Then, following that, it will be in Europe – Cologne, Germany to be precise – on the 8-9 November 2023.
About Peter Sarno
Peter is an enthusiastic Event Director with nearly ten years of experience creating and executing international B2B trade events, with a passion for sustainability and an aptitude for driving change.
Having spent five years organizing sustainability-focused events, Peter has gained a deep understanding of the challenges the manufacturing sectors face when it comes to achieving environmental targets.
At Trans-Global Events, he directs the show's content in relation to the exhibitors and speakers who offer relevant solutions and has the ambition to collaborate with all key stakeholders.
After becoming a member of the team at Trans-Global in 2018, Peter has organized over ten internationally recognized events.
Outside the events industry, Peter has a lively family home with a wife and two children under the age of 4. Walking in the great outdoors takes up much of his time, with a passion for Music, Tennis and Biking.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by The Greener Manufacturing Show.
For more information on this source, please visit The Greener Manufacturing Show
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