The Rimini Fair is located just 4 km from the center of Rimini and the sea. Completed in 2001 and expanded in 2017, the Rimini Fair is one of the largest exhibition centers in Italy. On behalf of the Switchmed Connect 2022, a flagship event and a gathering of Mediterranean stakeholders to build synergies, exchange knowledge, and scale up eco and social innovations, 8 entrepreneurs trained by GIMED joined the venue.

The fair had a green vocation to pursue the protection of the ecosystem, respect the environment and share an eco-friendly philosophy. Functionality and efficiency, combined with Indeed, the fair was an attraction for buyers and exhibitors from all over the world. The Switchmed Connect was organized by Medwaves, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Center for SCP, leading partner of GIMED.

With the support of the EU-funded project GIMED, under the ENI CBC Med Program, 8 entrepreneurs from different sectors (food, fashion, recycling, agriculture, solid waste management, transport and mobility...) got the chance to present their businesses at the fair and reach out to investors and partners from all across the Mediterranean. The primary goal from the project was to support them by covering the traveling costs to Rimini, their entry tickets, and accommodation.

With the guidance of GIMED's partner in Lebanon, Berytech, entrepreneurs had a great experience participating in the fair and they also took part in one of the biggest gatherings of Mediterranean stakeholders Switchmed Connect 2022.

The event hosted a bunch of leading start-ups and entrepreneurs, industry agents, initiatives, change agents, and policy and financial institutions working on applications of productive, circular, and sharing economies in the Mediterranean, and it was a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet new partners and establish new business relationships.

Meet the start-ups joining the RIMINI fair for the year 2022 :

• Mortben : a zero plastic Lebanese brand specialized in plant-based and ready-to-eat meals packed in glass jars.
• VEA - Upcycled Rubber Handbags : a start-up based on recycling the inner tubes of tires into bags, accessories and furniture.
• A+: They produce insulation for construction from sheep wool and blankets to replace all fabricated and unhealthy products used in the market, in this way we are recycling the sheep wool.
• Native Nurseries SARL: a native trees nursery, they plant trees native to Lebanon in Lebanon for the reforestation efforts and for the landscape sector using the air pot innovation.
• Lebanon Waste Management: a sorting facility that manages dry solid waste. It has a “sorting from the source” program and it’s the only facility in Lebanon so far that recycles polystyrene.
• URBAN HIVES: a low-cost, lightweight, modular structure, erected above car height, providing a shaded area for parking beneath and garden space above.
• Wave: Wave aims to reduce commuting and pollution problems by introducing affordable electric bicycles, starting with a pilot in Beirut.
• BINA: it recycles and reuses citrus and garlic processing wastes by valorizing them into a new performant biomaterial, shaped into diverse products.