STEP by Pollutec 2026
STEP by Pollutec 2026 brings decarbonisation and circular economy leaders to Paris on 1 and 2 December. Programme, speakers and SDG impact.
STEP by Pollutec 2026: Where Ecological Transformation Becomes Industrial Strategy
Every year the conversation about climate and resources grows louder, but the harder question is what happens once the speeches end. STEP by Pollutec 2026 answers that question. Held on 1 and 2 December 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 1, the show gathers the people who turn environmental ambition into contracts, prototypes, retrofits and balance sheets.
STEP is a working meeting point for industrial operators, eco industries, local authorities and investors who are already committed to the transition and now need partners, technology and capital to move faster.
A Show Built on Two Pillars
STEP by Pollutec is organised around decarbonisation and the circular economy, treated not as environmental obligations but as routes to efficiency, performance and competitiveness.
That framing matters. Across European industry, energy costs, raw material volatility and tightening reporting rules have pushed resource strategy out of the CSR department and into operations and finance. STEP is designed for that shift, pairing the companies selling solutions with the manufacturers, cities and regions that have to deploy them.
The Event in Numbers
STEP by Pollutec 2026 uses a compact, agile format built for two dense days of business.
- 200 exhibitors presenting environmental and energy solutions
- 9,000 professional participants from industry, public authorities and finance
- 35 conferences across the official programme
- More than 750 scheduled B2B meetings
This year's show is held under the High Patronage of Mr Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.
What Happens Across the Two Days
The show floor is divided into zones and formats that each serve a different kind of exchange.
Main Stage hosts the headline sessions, where policy, industry and finance debate the economics of the transition.
Workshops run practical, technical sessions aimed at teams who need working detail rather than strategy overviews.
Startups Village puts early stage innovators in front of industrial buyers and investors in one place.
Recycling Village concentrates the circular economy offer, from collection and sorting through to reuse and secondary raw materials.
Café STEP provides the informal space where much of the real networking happens between sessions.
Exhibition covers the full commercial floor, where solution providers meet the industries and territories deploying them.
A dedicated Tribune programme also opens the stage to outside voices through a call for speakers, so the agenda reflects live industry debate rather than a fixed script.
Voices Shaping the 2026 Programme
The speaker line up mixes finance, science and policy. Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head of Sustainability Intelligence and Advocacy at BBVA and Chair of the Financing Transition Expert Group at the European Banking Federation, speaks to the capital markets side of the transition. Julie Hollis, Secretary General of EuroGeoSurveys, covers geoscience and critical raw materials. Janez Potočnik, Co Chair of the UNEP International Resource Panel and former European Commissioner for the Environment, adds decades of resource policy experience at European and global level.
Connection to the Sustainable Development Goals
STEP by Pollutec 2026 advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by speeding up the commercial deployment of environmental and energy solutions across industry and public infrastructure.
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy brings together energy efficiency, low carbon supply and industrial decarbonisation technologies.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure supports the retrofit and reinvention of industrial processes through new technology and startup innovation.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities connects local authorities and territories with the solutions they need for waste, water, air quality and urban resource management.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production sits at the centre of the circular economy pillar, covering reuse, recycling and secondary raw materials.
SDG 13: Climate Action drives the decarbonisation pillar and the financing conversations that make emissions reduction bankable.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals takes concrete form in the B2B meetings programme, which turns shared ambition into cross sector agreements.
Who Should Attend
STEP by Pollutec serves two audiences with complementary needs. Exhibitors use it to present decarbonisation and circular economy solutions to decision makers and to strengthen visibility in the environment and climate sector. Visitors use it to track key trends, meet experts and build networks across the French and Northern European markets, which remain among the most active regulatory and procurement environments in Europe.
Key Facts at a Glance
Dates: 1 and 2 December 2026
Location: Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 1, Paris, France
Organiser: RX, part of RELX
Pillars: Decarbonisation and circular economy
Patronage: Under the High Patronage of the President of the French Republic
Scale: 200 exhibitors, 9,000 professional participants, 35 conferences
Global scope: European with international participation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is STEP by Pollutec?
STEP by Pollutec is a European trade show dedicated to ecological transformation, focused on decarbonisation and the circular economy. It connects solution providers with the industries, cities and investors deploying them.
When and where does STEP by Pollutec 2026 take place?
The show runs on 1 and 2 December 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 1.
How is STEP different from Pollutec?
Pollutec is the broader environmental solutions exhibition covering the full spectrum of eco industries. STEP is the shorter Paris show, built around two strategic pillars, decarbonisation and the circular economy, with heavier emphasis on business meetings and senior level programming.
Who attends STEP by Pollutec?
Attendance is professional. The audience includes industrial operators, eco industry suppliers, local and regional authorities, investors, financiers and policy specialists.
Can visitors speak at the event?
The programme includes a call for speakers, which lets industry practitioners propose sessions for the Tribune and contribute to the debate rather than only observe it.
Why Paris and Why December Matter This Year
Timing places STEP at the close of the European policy year, after the summer reporting cycle and ahead of budget commitments for the following year. Companies arrive with a clear picture of where their emissions and material flows stand and with procurement decisions still open. That combination is what gives a two day format its density. France also sits at the centre of European industrial decarbonisation policy, and the concentration of national authorities, regional bodies and financial institutions in Paris means the people who approve projects are in the same hall as the people who build them.
For the SDG community, that is the useful part. Progress on Goals 9, 12 and 13 depends less on new pledges than on the speed at which proven solutions reach the operators who can install them. Events structured around that transaction do measurable work.
References
STEP by Pollutec official site
https://www.stepbypollutec.com/en-gb.html
STEP by Pollutec programme