Digitalisation, resource efficiency, climate adaptation and circular solutions were among the key themes when IFAT 2026, the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies, brought together more than 140,000 visitors and thousands of companies in Munich. Together with Danish Export Association, Clean participated with a strong group of Danish companies to strengthen export opportunities, international collaboration and the visibility of Danish environmental technology solutions.
IFAT is the world’s largest trade fair for water, waste and resource management and serves as a central platform for companies, public authorities, utilities, investors and knowledge institutions from across the globe. Over four days, Munich became a meeting point for the latest technologies, solutions and discussions on the green transition.
For Clean and the participating companies, the fair was not only about showcasing solutions, but also about creating new connections, understanding market needs and identifying opportunities for international growth.
Danish solutions for global challenges
At the Danish Pavilion, organised in collaboration with Danish Export Association, a range of Danish companies were introduced to an international audience of potential customers, partners and investors.
The companies represented a wide range of solutions within areas such as water technology, data and digitalisation, energy efficiency, resource utilisation and circular economy – all of which play a central role in the green transition and in addressing future environmental challenges.
Participation gave the companies an opportunity to strengthen their international networks, gather market insights and establish new relationships across the value chain.
Growing focus on water, resources and resilient infrastructure
This year’s IFAT clearly showed how water and environmental technologies are increasingly linked to climate resilience, digitalisation and security of supply. Across the exhibition halls, there was strong attention on solutions that can reduce resource consumption, optimise operations and strengthen society’s resilience to climate change.
At the same time, it was clear that demand for documented and scalable solutions continues to grow. Both public and private actors are looking for technologies that can deliver measurable impact within water consumption, energy, CO₂ reduction and resource utilisation.
During the fair, Clean also facilitated activities through the SMEBeyond project, where companies shared experiences with internationalisation and market access. The activities created space for knowledge sharing between companies working to scale their solutions across borders.
IFAT also provided a framework for meetings with international clusters, innovation environments and collaboration partners, including actors from the Water4All network. These relationships are important for creating new projects, strengthening European innovation collaboration and opening doors to new markets for Danish companies.
New relations and opportunities after IFAT
After four days in Munich, Clean and the participating companies returned home with new contacts, valuable market insights and concrete dialogues about future collaboration. The fair once again confirmed the strong international interest in Danish solutions within water and environmental technology.
We thank Danish Export Association, the participating companies, partners and everyone who visited the Danish Pavilion for an inspiring week. We look forward to continuing the work to strengthen the international position of Danish companies and create new opportunities in global markets.
Clean’s activities at IFAT 2026 are co-funded by the European Union and Virksomhedsudvikling Danmark.
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