Milan, June 24, 2024 – Fiera Milano presents NetZero Milan, an expo-summit dedicated to industrial sector decarbonization, scheduled to take place from May 14-16, 2025 at Allianz MiCo, Europe’s largest convention center. This event aims to gather C-level executives, corporate decision-makers, and international stakeholders to discuss and promote innovative solutions for a zero-emission economy.
“NetZero Milan represents the first new event confirming the positive start of Fiera Milano’s 2024-2027 strategic plan execution,” – said Francesco Conci, CEO and General Manager of Fiera Milano. “With this new initiative, our goal is to support the industrial world, especially sectors that are hard to decarbonize, by helping them identify strategies, tools, and technologies to efficiently navigate the decarbonization path towards the 2030 and 2050 strategic horizons. The international context is significantly driving the change process and energy transition of companies. In the coming years, it will likely become strategic for Italy and Europe to work towards developing a leadership role in alternative energy generation and distribution. Additionally, through the themes addressed by NetZero Milan, we aim to emphasize the importance of sustainability integrated into business, which is at the core of Fiera Milano’s strategic vision. Defining it within the company’s business model is a qualifying criterion and a competitive advantage in the international landscape”.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), over 70% of new energy generation capacity by 2030 must come from renewable sources to maintain the net-zero emissions goal by 2050. Currently, the probability of meeting the Paris Agreement and limiting global warming to 1.5°C is only 14%. A recent Roland Berger analysis shows that, globally, about 50% of companies are developing a roadmap and setting decarbonization goals, but acceleration is needed. Today, ambition levels are still low: only 10-15% of large companies aim to reduce emissions of 50% by 2030, while the sum of current targets would only lead to a maximum reduction of 20%.
Europe has initiated a profound structural change in its economic system with a clear goal: to assume technological leadership in the fight against climate change. This is a significant economic challenge that will mobilize over €4,500 billion in investments across the EU to meet the ‘Fit for 55’ package targets by 2030. For Italy, this means mobilizing over €900 billion in resources by 2030 as estimated in the PNIEC (National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan).
A qualitative leap is needed to put the world on the right path towards a more sustainable future, directing industries towards reducing both direct and indirect emissions from purchased energy or supply chains.
NetZero Milan aims to support companies in this challenge, particularly those active in the hard-to-abate sectors, like steel, cement, and paper. It proposes to be a multi-technology and multi-stakeholder platform involving all technologies capable of contributing to the decarbonization goal: from utility-scale and industrial solar to hydropower and wind power, from energy storage to green hydrogen, from emerging energy technologies to new fuels, and solutions for CO2 emissions removal and compensation. It will also focus on electrification, digitalization, and decarbonization solutions designed for industries with the highest environmental impact, addressing policy and green financing issues. This project is built on four pillars: technology, policy, business, and finance. It is essential for every company to have the skills and tools to embark on a tailor-made change path, balancing actions strategically and financially to combine efficiency, security, and competitiveness.
NetZero Milan, through collaboration with recognized knowledge partners in the energy and industrial sectors such as the ECCO think tank and Roland Berger consultancy, intends to enhance dialogue and discussion on innovation themes. The sharing of vision and knowledge will also be at the heart of the preparatory events over the coming months, providing an initial networking opportunity in view of the May 2025 event.
