There is a precise moment, every November, when Rimini stops being an off-season seaside town and becomes the European capital of the circular economy. The exhibition halls fill with optical sorting systems, pilot-scale biorefineries, water treatment technologies, and startups turning agricultural waste into bioplastics. For four days, over 1,700 exhibitors and more than 100,000 operators from 100 countries speak the same language: applied ecological transition, made of material flows, patents and business models — not declarations of intent. This is Ecomondo, in its 29th edition, running from 3 to 6 November 2026 in Rimini, Italy.
For an environmental journalist, the problem with events of this scale is always the same: abundance. Thousands of potential stories spread across 30 pavilions, and the very real risk of leaving with fragmented notes and no coherent narrative thread. That is precisely the problem the 2026 International Press Tour is designed to solve — and the reason it is worth applying.
Press tour details
From 2 to 5 November 2026, a selected group of international journalists will experience Ecomondo from the inside, on a Press Tour curated by Italian Exhibition Group and Renewable Matter, which coordinates the initiative and manages participant selection. This is not a standard press accreditation: the format includes thematic guided visits through the pavilions along editorial itineraries built by the Renewable Matter team, individual interviews with exhibiting companies, pre-selected B2B meetings, and a dedicated day visiting a production facility or company headquarters, with management briefings on sustainability strategy, innovation and ESG performance.
The programme alternates editorial work with a relational dimension. Arrival on 2 November includes a guided visit to the historic centre of Rimini — a city that beneath its beach resort surface holds the Arch of Augustus, the Bridge of Tiberius and Leon Battista Alberti's Tempio Malatestiano — followed by a welcome dinner with Italian sustainability journalists and authors. The session on 4 November also includes a dedicated slot focused on the Ecomondo blog, opening the possibility of editorial collaboration that extends beyond the fair itself.
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria are specific. Professional journalists — freelance or staff — specialising in circular economy, green technologies, renewable energy, ecological transition, industrial sustainability, climate policy or environmental innovation may apply, writing for sector publications, national newspapers, magazines, radio or television outlets. Online-only publications are eligible provided they carry a clear editorial identity and documentable audience.
A notable addition concerns social-first journalists: they are eligible provided they reach at least 25,000 followers on LinkedIn or 100,000 on Instagram, with consistent evidence of editorial content on sustainability topics.
The geographic scope is broad but defined: EU27, United Kingdom, Iceland, Canada, Western Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East and Gulf (from Lebanon to Oman), North Africa (Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco), and — for sub-Saharan Africa — Senegal and Ethiopia. Journalists based in Italy are not eligible: the tour is explicitly designed to carry Ecomondo's story into international media markets. For countries that require an entry visa, organisers provide an official support letter.
What the organisation covers — and what is asked in return
The package is comprehensive: flights or trains from the country of origin, three nights in a four-star hotel, transfers, full press accreditation, media materials and curated B2B meetings. In return, the editorial commitment is binding and transparent: one announcement article before the fair (to be published by 26 October) and one in-depth feature after it, to be published within 45 days (by 19 December), in the outlet specified in the assignment letter. The arrangement is explicit: the organisational investment is justified by the coverage, and a cost-recovery clause in the event of non-publication puts the mutual commitment formally in writing.
How to apply
Applications must be submitted by 30 July 2026 via the online form on the official page. The required dossier includes: a CV in English of no more than two pages, three published articles relevant to the fair's themes, an assignment letter on the outlet's headed paper confirming the commitment to publish both pieces, and a cover letter of no more than 300 words explaining the interest in Ecomondo and the intended editorial angle. Social-first journalists must additionally provide screenshots documenting their follower count and three examples of editorial posts.
Selection — handled by a joint committee of Italian Exhibition Group and Renewable Matter — will evaluate the quality of prior editorial work, outlet reach, geographic diversity of the cohort, thematic alignment, and the potential for long-term collaborative relationships. Outcomes will be communicated by 1 September 2026.
The ecological transition requires infrastructure, capital and technology. But it equally requires people who can report on it with depth — across languages, markets and cultures where it must happen. The Press Tour is an invitation to do precisely that; from the best vantage point the Mediterranean region has to offer.
Cover: photo by Ecomondo