President of the Republic János Áder said that the expo is an entrepreneurial exhibition where water management, sustainable agriculture, smart cities, energy efficiency and the greening of transport will be discussed.
Two-thirds of the exhibitors are Hungarian, but Polish, Czech and Slovak companies are also coming. Some will be presenting a product already on the market, while others are looking for sponsorship for their concepts, he added.
He said that the expo would organize a scientific debate on sustainability issues, present solutions and interactive information for participants, and introduce young people to sustainability in a fun and engaging way. There was great interest in this last program, with it being five times oversubscribed, he added.
The organizers aim to have the lowest possible environmental footprint: the stands are built with recycled or recyclable materials, there will be no plastic bottles in the expo area, electric garbage trucks will collect and transport garbage, children will be able to travel to the exhibition for free, and those using public transport will arrive in green buses, he said.
In addition, a tree planting program has been launched to neutralize emissions from the event, Áder said, adding that trees had been planted on unused land next to motorways unsuitable for agricultural activities. A 25-year-old tree sequesters more than 51,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide and 377,000 kilograms of dust during the growing season, from spring to autumn, he added.
According to the president, Hungary is among the 21 countries in the world that have managed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions since 1990 while increasing economic activity.
The exhibition will only be open to visitors with an immunity card, and masks are compulsory.