GECO - Foire italienne virtuelle sur la durabilité
The second edition of GECO Expo, the virtual sustainability exhibition, ended on March 4th. Like the previous edition, it was packed with companies, start-ups, visitors, and buyers who were able to network, compare projects, and attend panels and presentations with leading sustainability experts and stakeholders. The exhibition platform is set to remain accessible until June 30th. Even after the end of the official event calendar, therefore, it will be possible for users to visit the website, get in touch with companies and interact directly with other participants on the unique 3D platform that is GECO's trademark. In addition, this year was featured plenty of innovative projects and outstanding examples of female entrepreneurship: the Smart Talk contest was won by two women whose ideas on sustainability captivated GECO's quality jury.
This year, GECO Expo was attended by several international companies and prestigious guests, whose presentations aroused great interest. For this reason, we have decided to keep access to our 3D platform open until June 30th. It will be possible to visit the exhibitors' booths and learn about their projects, as well as listen to the talks of our most eminent guests on topics related to the five thematic areas around which the GECO Expo programme is structured: alternative energies, sustainable tourism and MICE, Ecofood, mobility and business travel, and circular economy. By accessing the GECO Expo content, you can enjoy 30 hours of video footage from a programme featuring 98 speakers.
Among the attending startups, the one that impressed the judges the most was the one that won not only the first prize in its category within the Smart Talk contest, created thanks to the contribution of LeVillage by CA Triveneto, but also the special prizes offered by PoliHub and Guru Marketing. The young Sara Plaga presented her origami-inspired photovoltaic panels, which are lightweight and easy to transport. The idea came from her passion for travel, which Sara shares with her partner and which she wanted to make more sustainable. The panels produced by Levante can be used on any means of transport, from boats to camper vans. They take up very little space when closed, but achieve 70% more energy efficiency than normal panels when open. In addition, Levante panels are made of recycled carbon fibre and designed to have the least possible impact on disposal at the end of their life cycle. Among the possible applications of this technology, in addition to sustainable travel, there is also the possibility of supplying energy to remote and developing areas, where the normal distribution network struggles to operate.
The Arctic Tern is a migratory bird that weighs approximately one hundred grams, but in the course of its life covers the equivalent of three round trips between the earth and the moon, i.e. more than 2.4 million kilometres. Federica Campilongo chose this animal as the symbol of her company because the Arctic Tern is living proof that "no-one is too small to do great things". Sternartica is a Provence-based company with an Italian soul, producing soaps, solid shampoos and eco-sustainable cosmetics.
Second prize in the startup category went to Dotzero, an innovative startup that produces recyclable shoes and that also won the Innovup prize. Third place went to the Hortomio research project, which aims to spread knowledge of new cultivation techniques and sustainable crop management among the younger generation. The second prize in the 'Established companies and start-ups' category went to WHATaECO, for creating a sustainable e-Commerce platform, while third place was shared by SolarGaps, a company that produces smart solar blinds that use window surfaces to create clean energy, thus saving on energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and CircuLite, which recycles ash to create components that can be used to make Covid masks, various types of filters, cosmetics, and to capture and retain CO2. SolarGaps also won the Innovup award, while CircuLite won the Levillage CA award.
If you are interested in sustainability issues, please join our platform!
Published on 11-03-2022
