ESS Expo 2025 Breaks Records with Innovative Environmental Solutions and Industry Growth
Environmental Services & Solutions Expo (ESS) 2025 has marked a record-breaking year, becoming the largest event in its history by uniting seven shows for the first time. With the addition of Geotechnical Engineering & Operations Expo (GEO), and Complete Auto Recycling how & Metals Recycling Event (CARS & MRE), the event drew over 10,000 attendees on day one alone, with overall audience up 25%, cementing its position as the world’s leading showcase for the environmental services sector.
The show’s comprehensive conference programme covered a wide range of critical topics, from reflections on climate change and conservation, hosted by Michaela Strachan, to Ukraine as an energy case study, and sessions on armed conflict, contamination, and Human health.
Bringing together cutting-edge technologies and strategies across net-zero, decarbonisation, resource management, circular economy, environmental monitoring, water scarcity and management, biodiversity conservation, environmental emergency response, and emissions control, ESS Expo 2025 provided an unparalleled platform for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing for those working across the environmental services industry.
Speaking about the event, a representative of AMP said: “This is the event in the UK that you simply have to attend. The audience is diverse and broad, yet very targeted towards what we offer. The speaker sessions are educational, giving us the chance to talk about real challenges within the industry, and discuss and debate the solutions. Each year we see more return on investment from the event, with increasingly relevant leads. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the industry to come together in one place.”
First-time exhibitors were a strong presence at ESS Expo, with many already confirming their return for next year. McLanahan, who exhibited at Resource & Waste Management (RWM) Expo for the first time, praised the experience: “This was our first time at RWM, and having the Construction and Demolition Theatre so close to our stand has been a massive benefit. Speaking in a session has generated good footfall, and overall it’s been a really positive experience, both through the stand and in generating quality leads.”
Innovation spotlight
720 exhibitors gathered at the NEC, Birmingham to showcase their latest innovations from across the industry, with many choosing the event as the platform to launch new products or make official announcements.
CIWM (the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management) unveiled its latest Policy Landscape Review & Recommendations paper, ‘Let’s Not Waste the Next Four Years’, at RWM Expo. Launched during a press briefing on the opening morning, the paper sets out guidance for government and stakeholders on driving a more resource-efficient, circular economy. Dan Cooke, CIWM’s Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs, highlighted RWM’s role in showcasing innovation and best practice across the sector.
Also onsite, James Cruddas, Deputy Director at DEFRA, announced that the UK Government will publish a new carbon budget and delivery plan next month as part of its net zero drive. Developed with Whitehall departments and the Circular Economy Taskforce, the plan is designed to support economic growth, reduce emissions, and cut consumer costs.
NTM-GB chose RWM Expo to unveil the Mini-MAS, a new food waste collection vehicle developed in response to industry demand for more compact solutions. Engineered in the UK, the Mini-MAS is designed for chassis up to 12 tonnes and combines the durability of NTM’s larger MAS model with improved manoeuvrability for tighter collection routes. Its fully sealed body reduces leakage risks and improves hygiene standards, while key features include a fast-loading cycle, electrically operated bin lift, and the ability to tip directly into skips.
Reflecting on the launch, NTM-GB commented: “RWM is a well-known event throughout the industry, so it was a no-brainer for us when launching a new product. It’s excellent for meeting both current customers and prospective customers, providing a fantastic platform to showcase our solutions and connect with key players in the sector.”
Clearpoint Recycling introduced its Certified Broker Scheme, designed to support independent waste brokers navigating a challenging recycling market shaped by site closures, low-cost imports, and legislative delays. The scheme gives brokers access to Clearpoint’s infrastructure, compliance expertise, logistics network, and trading platform, offering greater stability and visibility across UK and international markets. Early adopters, including Polish firm Profitrash, have reported improved revenues during the pilot phase. The initiative builds on Clearpoint’s recent partnership with Enviroo and forms part of its wider strategy to strengthen recycling supply chains and promote circular economy practices.
Bradshaw Electric Vehicles recently announced it has been appointed the sole UK distributor for Belgian street-cleaning specialist Glutton, whose machines are used in over 8,000 towns and cities worldwide. Glutton’s eco-friendly range includes the Collect Street vacuum cleaner and the H₂O Perfect, which combines litter collection with a 60-litre pressure washer. At RWM Expo, Bradshaw showcased the Glutton H₂O alongside its new Goupil waste-collection range, highlighting rising demand from councils and contractors for sustainable, zero-emission street-cleaning solutions.
Session highlights
ESS Expo 2025 delivered its biggest and most ambitious conference programme yet, with over 450 speakers across 19 different stages and theatres. Sessions featured experts and representatives from leading organisations including Biffa, CIWM, DEFRA, The Environment Agency, Liverpool FC, and many others. Conversations spanned the pressing issues of circularity, sustainability and climate resilience, providing delegates with actionable insights and sector-wide perspectives.
Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Michaela Strachan headlined the event, blending science, case studies, and personal reflections. She reminded the audience that current human-driven changes in methane and CO₂ emissions are driving us into ‘the unknown.’ She showcased global examples of adaptation and solutions: from coral restoration in the Maldives, to regenerative farming at Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk, to sustainable broadcasting initiatives, and highlighted saltmarshes as a critical natural carbon store. Her session underscored both the urgency of the crisis and the potential for practical, local solutions.
The RWM Collections & Transport Stage featured Simpler Recycling 6-Months On – An Operational Perspective. Chaired by Patrick Brighty (ESA), speakers Carla Brian (Biffa), Melody Carraro (Veolia), and Tom Mockridge (Recorra) reflected on the first six months of implementation. Discussions addressed supply chain pressures around vehicles and containers, contamination challenges, sector-specific compliance issues, and the need for clearer communication with customers. The session provided valuable cross-sector insights, with hospitality showing smoother transitions compared to SMEs and customer-facing businesses, where compliance and space constraints remain significant hurdles.
At the Future Talent Hub, Representing the 50% – Women Leading Across Sustainability drew one of the largest audiences of the event, prompting calls for it to move to the main stage in future years. Chaired by Vicki Hughes (CIWM), the panel featured Amanda Padfield (SUEZ), Khadeeja (Bristol Waste), Sarah Poulter (CIWM), and Toni Robinson (Grundon). Panellists shared personal career journeys, challenges faced in a traditionally male-dominated sector, and the importance of building pipelines for female talent. Key themes included confidence, mentorship, representation, and re-framing the sector as a dynamic sustainability career path beyond “waste.”
Another highlight in the Summit Theatre was How Industry is Preparing Us for Climate Risk – Are We Set Up to Live in a 2°C Warmer World? The panel, chaired by Jordan Turner (University of the Built Environment), brought together Andrew Hagger (Richmond & Wandsworth Councils), Graham Mollison (Southeastern Railway), Liz Parkes (Environment Agency), and Tom Seath (John F Hunt). Speakers emphasised the importance of regulation and planning to drive innovation and resilience, while warning that the UK is not yet ready for the realities of a 2°C warmer world. They highlighted the need for integrated approaches to adaptation, funding, and accountability to ensure long-term resilience.
Over in the RWM Circular Economy Theatre, Liverpool FC’s Director of Impact Rishi Jain delivered a keynote, Great Presence Brings Great Responsibility: Delivering a Sporting Standard Towards Sustainability -‘The Red Way’, chaired by Phil White (WSP). Jain outlined the club’s sustainability framework launched in 2021, which covers people, accountability, diversity, planet, and community. He shared initiatives ranging from matchday recycling campaigns with SC Johnson, to reducing plastics in stadiums, to serving meals and diverting food waste to anaerobic digestion. Jain closed by emphasising that The Red Way is not about quick wins, but about embedding responsibility into every layer of the club’s operations and global presence.
In the WWEM Keynote Theatre, From Source to Zero – Natural Resources and the Water Sector’s Carbon Journeys featured Carolyn Cadman (South West Water), Valerie Robertson (Jacobs), and Victoria Cherrier (Water UK). The discussion highlighted the sector’s progress towards carbon neutrality, the growing role of nature-based solutions, and the importance of long-term resilience planning. The panel pointed to successful innovations, such as repurposing disused quarries for water storage during droughts, while stressing the urgency of scaling up rainwater harvesting, and ecosystem-based approaches.
Across all stages, the conference programme reinforced ESS Expo’s role as a convening platform for industry, government, and innovators to tackle urgent environmental challenges while showcasing practical pathways towards more sustainable futures.
Ukraine and the geopolitics of sustainability
One of the most powerful themes of the 2025 edition was the spotlight on Ukraine and the wider links between conflict, environment, and resilience. At the EFD Keynote Stage, Alex Sobel MP delivered a presentation on Ukraine as an Energy Case Study for Net Zero, exploring how the country is rebuilding its energy systems amid conflict. Sobel pointed to international finance and UK partnerships that are enabling renewable infrastructure to form the backbone of Ukraine’s recovery.
Complementing this, the session Armed Conflict, Contamination and Human Health in the CLR Keynote Theatre examined how war creates lasting environmental legacies. Naomi Rintoul-Hynes, Senior Lecturer in Soil Science and Environmental Management at Canterbury Christ Church University, highlighted the risks of soil and water contamination, and the challenges for agricultural exports from conflict zones.
Together, these discussions made clear that sustainability cannot be separated from geopolitics. The lessons drawn from Ukraine underlined the urgency of integrating environmental resilience into humanitarian and reconstruction efforts worldwide.
Packaging and the Circular Economy
Circularity and packaging emerged as closely linked themes at ESS Expo, with discussions spanning policy, infrastructure, innovation, and collaboration.
In the Landfill Tax Consultation – Shaping Sustainable Waste Management session, chaired by Jenny Watts (UROC, Watts Legal), panellists Simon Little (Powerday), Roland Williams (FCC), and Chris Berryman (SLR Consulting) warned that poorly designed tax increases risk unintended consequences such as fly-tipping, site closures, and reduced contributions to the circular economy. They stressed the need for fairness in taxation, highlighting the impact on construction waste, housing, and supply chains.
Circular principles were also brought to life by Jemilah Bailey, Head of Waste and Circular Economy Policy & Programmes at the Greater London Authority, in Building a Circular Capital – London’s Vision for 2040. She showcased initiatives such as London’s public water fountain and refill point strategy, alongside planning requirements for Circular Economy Statements, demonstrating how policy can embed long-term waste reduction and design for resilience.
Packaging was explored in depth at the dedicated Packaging Theatre, where sessions examined its critical role in enabling circular systems. In Lessons from Live DRS Systems, James Beard (Valpak) and Travis Way (EcoVend) highlighted how Deposit Return Schemes can capture high-quality materials, integrate with recycling infrastructure, and engage communities, while underscoring the need for interoperability, clear communication, and fair retailer reimbursement. Policy innovation was also in focus: Emma Wilkinson (WRAP) reviewed global pEPR impacts, the Packaging, Producers, and Policy panel unpacked compliance and fee structures, and Will Button (Valpak) presented the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) as a key tool for aligning fees with real-world outcomes.
Collaboration and material innovation rounded out the discussion, with The Paper’s Journey Towards a Sustainable Future panel highlighting responsible sourcing, carbon reduction, and end-of-life solutions, while WRAP’s UK Plastics Pact update showcased progress on cutting plastic waste and scaling reuse and refill models. Together, these sessions demonstrated how packaging and circularity are interdependent in driving a resilient, resource-efficient economy.
Recognising excellence in the environmental sector
ESS Expo continued to cement its reputation as the place to celebrate excellence across the environmental sector, shining a spotlight on pioneering individuals and organisations driving meaningful change. This included recognition through prestigious awards such as the Environment 100 and 35 Under 35, which honoured the sector’s most influential, hard-working, inspiring leaders, and rising stars.
The highlight of the celebrations was the Environmental Monitoring Awards, a special evening event held on the evening day one of ESS Expo. Hosted by the air and water sections of the show (WWEM & AQE), the awards celebrated outstanding achievements in water and air quality monitoring, recognising innovation, leadership, and impactful solutions committed to the measurement and data disciplines that underpin policy, compliance, and investment.
Reviewed by an independent panel of industry experts, the awards recognised the very best in environmental monitoring techniques, technologies and strategies. Winners in the water sector included Xylem Water Solutions UK Ltd, B4T, WATR, StormHarvester, SKAFS Consultants Pvt Ltd, AquaWatch, and River Severn Partnership, with the WWEM Judges Award going to StormHarvester. In the air sector, winners included VodafoneThree, HealthyPhoton Technology Co., Ltd, EarthSense, SKAFS Consultants Pvt Ltd, Smart Sense d.o.o, and EMSOL, with the AQE Judges Award presented to VodafoneThree.
EarthSense, who won the Smart Data & Analytics (Air) award for its work with the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “This is a fantastic recognition of the real-world impact data can have on shaping healthier, more sustainable communities.
ESS Expo 2025 was a brilliant platform for EarthSense to connect with like-minded innovators and organisations that are committed to tackling environmental challenges through data and technology. The conversations we had around air quality, regulatory compliance, and smart city integration were not only insightful, but energising. It’s clear there’s a growing demand for actionable, real-time data and we’re proud to be part of that journey.”
Rob Mowat, Managing Director of ESS Expo, reflected on this year’s success:
“ESS Expo 2025 has been our largest and most dynamic edition yet, bringing together seven dedicated expos under one roof to showcase the full breadth of the environmental services sector. This expansion has allowed us to highlight not only the unique strengths of each area but also the vital connections between them, demonstrating how collaboration drives progress. We are delighted to have welcomed such a diverse mix of exhibitors and partners, all contributing to the energy and expertise that define this event. Together, we are building momentum toward a greener, more resilient and more circular tomorrow.”
ESS Expo 2026 will return to the NEC, Birmingham, from 16-17 September.
