16-17 September 2026
Birmingham, UK
Venue
NEC Birmingham
About the event
ESS is where the industry’s top players unite to drive tangible environmental progress.
As the leading event dedicated to the circular economy, net-zero transitions, sustainability, and biodiversity, ESS brings together pioneering solutions and expert perspectives that are transforming how we manage natural resources and development policy across the UK and Europe.
With 15,410 high-level attendees in 2025, the expo is a vital meeting point for collaboration, innovation, and practical learning. Discover breakthrough technologies, hear the latest policy updates, source the latest products and services, and gain actionable insights to take back to your organisation. From councils and government leaders to global brands and environmental service providers – the entire sector is here, and you should be too.
Enquiries
Book your subsidised space and exhibit at ESS Expo 2026.
Recognising that early-stage and growth-stage businesses often face barriers to exhibiting at major trade events – from limited budgets to a lack of visibility or investor connections – the Start-up, Scale-up, Innovation & Investors Network at ESS Expo is designed to level the playing field and connect innovation with the communities that help it scale.
This dedicated zone serves as a collaborative space that brings together start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, investors, banks, funding bodies, legal advisers, private equity firms and corporate buyers in one highly visible, dynamic setting; showcasing investment-ready start-ups and scale-ups developing commercially proven technologies and services across the sector.
Emerging companies benefit from a low-cost, high-impact platform to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with established industry leaders, while gaining direct access to 16,000+ industry professionals, including government representatives, financiers, venture capitalists, institutional investors, major brands and sustainability decision-makers – all actively looking for new environmental solutions, partnerships and investment opportunities.