The 2025 edition of Pollutec, held in Lyon, was a success as one of the main international meeting points for environmental professionals. For four days, the event brought together key players in waste management, energy, and water to showcase technologies, share expertise, and discuss the next steps in the ecological transition.

We attended as part of the Berlin Partner delegation, representing Berlin’s innovation ecosystem and, more broadly, the Franco-German cooperation that drives our own company. Our objectives were clear: connect with major actors in sustainability and follow the latest discussions on environmental challenges.

On the Exhibition Floor

The exhibition floor of Pollutec 2025 Lyon was a good reflection of the sector’s dynamism. Many companies presented concrete, operational solutions in waste treatment and management, energy production, and water processing.

Large industrial players shared space with innovative startups, and the focus was clearly on practicality and implementation. Several machines were on display and running, illustrating real processes rather than prototypes. Among the notable innovations, a Japanese technology converting CO₂ into ethanol caught our attention.

Overall, the exhibition conveyed a clear message: technologies for transition exist and are maturing. The challenge is no longer invention, but deployment.

Conferences: Common messages, renewed clarity

We also attended several conferences throughout the week. The themes were familiar - circular economy, regulations, critical raw materials, PFAS – and they confirmed a shared understanding across the sector.

The key idea repeated in different contexts: implementation is the real frontier.

• Collaboration must move beyond declarations and take the form of shared data, transparent practices, and coalitions across competitors.

• Acting despite uncertainty was highlighted as a necessary skill — the transition will not wait for perfect conditions.

• The functionality economy, centered on use rather than ownership, is gaining ground but remains limited in practice.

  
  

Discussions on PFAS pollution revealed that regulation remains insufficient, and that responsibility for PFAS treatment often falls to water utilities and, ultimately, consumers.

Encounters and Exchanges

Beyond the conferences, Pollutec 2025 Lyon was an opportunity to meet and exchange with professionals from across the world - including Morocco, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Japan. These discussions provided valuable insight into different regulatory frameworks and innovation approaches.

We also met with the General Consul of Germany in Lyon, with whom we discussed regulations, circularity, recycling and Franco-German cooperation. It is increasingly clear that sustainability is not only an industrial issue but also a geopolitical one.

Key Takeaways

After four days of conferences, meetings, and visits, several points stand out:

1. Collaboration is essential - data sharing, open innovation, and cross-sector partnerships are prerequisites for meaningful progress.

2. Regulation lags behind technology - especially visible in the PFAS issue.

3. Implementation is the main challenge - awareness and ambition exist, but execution remains uneven.

4. Europe must strengthen circularity - ensuring that recycling and value creation stay within regional ecosystems.

5. Sobriety remains a blind spot - technological progress will not solve overconsumption on its own.