Environmental Services & Solutions Expo 2025 unveils packed agenda

Environmental Services & Solutions (ESS) Expo has released its full speaker programme for the 2025 event, which now features seven shows spanning all corners of the environmental sector, under one roof at the NEC Birmingham. There are a record number of attendees set to attend the 2025 edition, with over 15,000 visitors and over 750 exhibiting companies expected to attend.

ESS Expo continues to stand as the UK’s most critical and comprehensive gathering for the environmental community. It provides a platform for high level discussion, bringing together government speakers, industry leaders, suppliers, and industry innovators. The speaker programme has been carefully curated to move beyond conversation, focusing on actionable strategies, groundbreaking technologies, operational take aways, and collaborative solutions.

ESS Expo is growing in 2025 with the addition of two new events: the Complete Auto Recycling Show and Metals Recycling Event (CARS & MRE), and the Geotechnical Engineering & Operations Expo (GEO Expo).

The Water, Wastewater & Environmental Management Expo (WWEM Expo), previously known as WRM, has also been expanded, and the Air Quality & Emissions Expo (AQE Expo), formerly APC Expo, joins the line up.

These new shows will join the existing Resource & Waste Management Expo (RWM Expo), Energy, Fuels & Decarbonisation Expo (EFD Expo), and Contamination & Land Remediation Expo (CLR Expo), solidifying ESS Expo as the UK’s leading hub for environmental showcase.

Each of the seven shows will feature a curated selection of companies and engaging talks by industry experts. Each show provides a distinct perspective on environmental sustainability, combining expert knowledge with a focus on current environmental matters, current policy and regulation, and their impact.

Headline presentations

Renowned wildlife presenter and conservationist Michaela Strachan leads this year’s powerhouse keynote line up with Extreme Conservation Conversations: Uncovering Climate Change Case Studies. Taking to the stage at the Net Zero Summit Theatre, Michaela will share gripping, first hand accounts from the frontlines of climate change, spotlighting endangered species, vanishing habitats, and the urgent need for global action. 

Also taking centre stage is Rishi Jain, director of Impact at Liverpool FC, with an exclusive session titled Great Presence Brings Great Responsibility: Delivering A Sporting Standard Towards Sustainability 'The Red Way'. Rishi will reveal how the Premier League giant is embedding sustainability across operations and fan engagement, aligning with 16 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals while maintaining world class performance on the pitch.

They will be joined by a standout roster of headline speakers across the ESS Expo, including Alex Sobel MP, Mike Reader MP and Margaret Bates of DEFRA, each bringing deep technical expertise and bold ideas to the most pressing challenges facing energy, policy, infrastructure, and the circular economy today.

Waste and Recycling 

RWM Expo stands at the forefront of the nation's push towards a circular economy. It features over 400 exhibitors and outdoor area dedicated to live machinery demonstrations. The exhibition floor is an unmissable destination for professionals seeking to enhance operational efficiency and discover the latest cutting edge solutions in resource management.

RWM Expo 2025 will feature an impressive line up of expert speakers and thought provoking sessions tackling the most urgent challenges and future opportunities in the waste, recycling, and circular economy sectors.

A must attend session, Circular Economy Taskforce: Driving Real World Change, will bring together industry leaders including Professor David Greenfield (CIWM & CEI), Stuart Hayward-Higham (Suez UK), Libby Peake (Green Alliance), and Jacob Hayler (ESA). This high level panel will unpack how collaboration, policy, and procurement are reshaping UK supply chains, from construction to packaging, to enable circular practices at scale.

Another highlight, Waste Not: Visionary Leadership for a Circular Future, will see senior executives from across the sector, including Dr Jane Atkinson (Enfinium), Neil Grundon (Grundon), and John Wilkinson (Suez UK), share their views on the sector’s future direction. Chaired by Dr Anna Willetts, the session offers a rare opportunity to hear from those shaping long term strategy at the top of the industry.

In The Future of Green Skills, sector leaders such as Dr Adam Read (Suez UK), Rachel Melvin (LARAC), and Shilpa Parmar (Veolia) will explore how the industry can meet growing demands for talent and training. From policy reform to employer engagement, the panel will discuss how to equip the next generation of professionals to deliver decarbonisation and circular goals.

Circular by Design: Rethinking Products, Systems and Impact will explore how design choices made early in a product's lifecycle can determine its environmental impact. Featuring voices from UKFT, CIWM, and ECS, the session will look at disassembly, material choices, and how regulation is shaping innovation, from digital product passports to the ESPR.

With the UK Deposit Return Scheme due to roll out in 2027, Navigating the New Legislation brings together policy specialists and producers to discuss what is coming and how stakeholders can prepare. Speakers from Alupro, ESA, and Letsrecycle.com will outline key policy developments and expected industry impacts.

Supporting the waste and recycling agenda at ESS Expo, Complete Auto Recycling Show & Metals Recycling Event (CARS & MRE) will bring together vehicle dismantlers, authorised treatment facilities, salvage yards, parts traders, brokers, and transporters at what has long been recognised as Europe’s leading event for the vehicle recycling industry. Visitors can expect to connect with leading industry experts, explore the latest advancements in auto recycling, and witness processes live in action. Highlights include a live demonstration area and a live vehicle depollution area, offering an immersive, hands on experience for attendees.

MRE will also showcase solutions from prominent organisations across the metals recycling value chain, including Automet Ltd, the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), Hensel Recycling, Lindemann, and Raw Material Cover. Here, for the first time, attendees will gain insight through specialised networking events, collaborative workshops, and engaging demonstrations, creating valuable opportunities to meet buyers, customers and industry leaders.

Energy and Resource

Energy, Fuels & Decarbonisation Expo (EFD) brings together top tier experts and innovators to tackle the UK’s clean energy transition. The Energy Keynote Theatre will feature a compelling programme of speakers, including Alex Sobel MP, who will share practical insights from a major energy case study supporting the UK's net zero targets. Raul Montano, technology director at Hitachi Energy will explore how to deliver large scale energy infrastructure projects more efficiently by cutting complexity and costs. Attendees will also hear from Doug Millington-Smith, operational innovation lead at National Gas, who will provide a deep dive into hydrogen’s critical role in the transition to sustainable energy.

With over 100 companies exhibiting in this zone, attendees can explore a wide range of products and services.

Land management

Bringing the future of the contamination, land remediation and geo-environmental sectors, over 50 exhibitors will join Contamination & Land Remediation Expo (CLR).

Headlining the CLR Expo conference agenda is Mike Reader MP as he talks on Sustainable Pathways for Decarbonising Construction. Prior to election, Mike was a senior leader at Mace, the global consultancy and construction firm. He specialised in major and giga programmes, with a portfolio of project experience which includes work across the globe.

Among the highlights, the CLR Keynote Theatre will host a session titled Future Proofing the Ground: UK Land Remediation Beyond 2025, where an expert panel will uncover the innovations and evolving strategies needed for land management, covering everything from science and policy to community engagement. Joining the panel is Stewart King, marketing business partner – environmental services at Alder & Allan; Amy Parekh-Pross, technical associate, environmental science at Socotec; Joe Jackson, managing director at Jackson Remediation; and Jonathan Atkinson, technical director at Cl:Aire.

At the session, From Derelict to Developed: Large Scale Site Regeneration, Paul Nathanail, technical director at Land Quality Management Ltd will be joined by Dr Roni Savage, founder of Jomas Associates and Joe Jackson. The panel will explore approaches to regenerating large, contaminated sites into thriving, usable spaces, using real world case studies to demonstrate how collaboration can overcome complex challenges in brownfield regeneration.

The CLR Technical Stage will feature Clare Llowarch, tech director at i2 Analytical, who will deliver a talk on The Evolution of PFAS Analysis: Current Capabilities and Future Innovations. A separate presentation will highlight how SoilSteam's mobile, chemical free technology treats contaminated soil on site, providing a reusable and fertile alternative to traditional disposal methods in a talk titled Japanese Knotweed? No Problem. A New Way to Clean and Reuse Soil.

Meanwhile, the inaugural Geotechnical Engineering & Operations Expo – launched in response to the strong interest in geotechnics shown at its sister event, CLR Expo – will unite industry professionals to explore the future of ground engineering, soil stabilisation, foundation design, and everything in between. This premier event, curated by popular demand, delves into critical areas shaping the built environment from the ground up. Attendees will gain unparalleled insights into soil mechanics and ground improvement techniques, sustainable geotechnics, foundation engineering innovations, and environmental and contaminant management.

A key session, Demystifying Geophysics: How Geophysics Can Support Your Next Ground Investigation, will be led by Charlotte Usher, principal geophysicist at RSK Geosciences. Drawing on her extensive experience, she will present a series of compelling case studies, demonstrating the practical application of geophysics in ground investigations. This session is designed to create more effective dialogue between engineers and geophysical specialists, equipping attendees with the knowledge to produce cost effective, detailed datasets that significantly enhance ground models.

Another highlight, Old Foundations, New Futures: A Sustainable Approach to Foundation Design, will feature Paul Smith, associate director at A-squared Studio, and Will Moody, associate at A2 Site Investigation. As the industry shifts towards a more sustainable built environment, this session will explore how the reuse of existing foundations can dramatically reduce a development's whole life carbon footprint. 

Water management

Among the standout features of ESS 2025 is the newly expanded Water, Wastewater and Environmental Management (WWEM) Expo, a comprehensive platform addressing the water sector's most urgent challenges. With over 150 suppliers, the exhibition floor is a nexus of cutting edge solutions for real time monitoring, water management, and advanced wastewater treatment.

WWEM Expo features three dedicated arenas – the WWEM Keynote Theatre, WWEM Technical Theatre, and WWEM Monitoring Theatre – hosting over 35 sessions. Here, industry luminaries will discuss critical issues, from sustainable water resource to digital transformation.

Speakers include Judy Procter, deputy director for water regulation at the Environment Agency; Marc Hannis, principal of the Ofwat Innovation Fund; and Carolyn Cadman, chief sustainability and natural resources officer at South West Water. They will explore critical themes such as From Source to Zero: Natural Resources and the Water Sector’s Carbon Journey, Delivering Digital Transformation in the Water Sector from a Real Time Control Perspective,and ‘Innovating for Water’s Future: Opportunities Through the Ofwat Innovation Fund’.

A new and highly anticipated feature is SuDS Live, a dynamic forum for live demonstrations and updates on Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). This initiative underscores the pivotal role SuDS play in management of water resource.

Practical sessions will delve into the real world implementation of SuDS. Small Scale Retrofitting: Key Principles and Case Studies will share insights on the necessity of fitting SuDS into urban areas, tackling common challenges like picking the right contractor and engaging the community through genuine case studies. Alongside this, the Early SuDS Considerations: Land Acquisition and Master Planning session will highlight crucial lessons on integrating sustainable drainage right from the start of a project, showing how early planning leads to more resilient and beneficial communities.

Air and emissions

Air Quality & Emissions (AQE) Expo will showcase the latest advancements in air quality and emissions technology from over 60 companies. This year's event is a hub of innovation, with exhibitors debuting solutions for real time stack monitoring and emissions reduction.

Across the AQE Emissions and Air Quality Theatres, a programme of key presentations will offer crucial insights on air quality, emissions control, and stack monitoring.

In the session titled Cleaner Construction: Delivering the World's First Construction Low Emission Zone, Andrew Gordon, project manager at Pan London NRMM Project and Jason Andrews, programme manager for air quality at London Borough of Merton will discuss London's Pioneering Construction Low Emission Zone. They will share insights on its implementation, its progress towards a zero emission construction fleet, and the broader benefits for air quality and climate change.

Attendees will also hear from Dr Bill Parish, deputy director for air quality and industrial emissions at DEFRA, who will deliver a presentation on the Delivery of Air Quality Policy and Air Quality Targets for the UK Government. This session will offer crucial updates on national policy and objectives.

Also, Larissa Lockwood, director of policy and campaigns at Global Action Plan, will lead a presentation on Improving Understanding About Air Pollution to Create Change, focusing on how to translate scientific understanding into tangible action and public engagement.

Environmental community

Attendees of ESS Expo will discover unrivalled opportunities for networking and connection across the entire environmental sector, to drive positive change in their own operations, and the wider industry. Also expect music entertainment on the ESS Live Stage and a more relaxed atmosphere at the outdoor networking space, the Inn on the Green. The event’s social calendar is also packed with fringe networking events, including the exclusive ESS Connect Party on September 17, which will bring together 400 of the industry's finest.

Rob Mowat, managing director of ESS Expo, said: ‘In the face of immense challenges, collaboration and innovation are more critical than ever. ESS Expo 2025 provides an essential platform for professionals to connect, exchange solutions, and lead the charge in protecting our planet and people. We look forward to welcoming everyone in September for an event that will not only highlight the latest technologies and strategies, but also inspire the next generation of environmental leaders.’

The ESS Expo agenda is still evolving, with even more inspiring speakers and unmissable sessions set to be revealed in the coming weeks.

To register to attend ESS Expo 2025 from 17 to 18 September at the NEC, Birmingham, visit the website here.