New focuses at IFAT introduced

The 16th IFAT (the International Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Refuse and Recycling) is extending the coverage of the fair by introducing a number of new themes and expanding others. For example, the already extensive sections on water, sewage and refuse are now being expanded to include a focus on generating energy from waste water and refuse. Also in the spotlight will be themes such as energy management and efficiency, urban mining (i.e. the exploitation of secondary raw materials), new methods of desalination and sanitation. The area of coastal protection and flood control is also being explored in greater depth, in cooperation with the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW).

"These themes offer great potential and additional business opportunities for our exhibitors and visitors. Desalination, for example, will become ever more important in the future, because of the looming water shortages in many regions around the globe. In addition we are encouraging our exhibitors to offer ’adapted technologies’ in addition to their innovations and high-tech solutions, in particular for developing and emerging countries. What we are talking about here is not second-class technology, but technology that is usable and affordable in the conditions found in the individual countries," said Eugen Egetenmeir, a member of the Management Board of Messe München.