ZERO WASTE EUROPE

We live in a world where everything has to be fast. Cars, the internet, even reading—speed-reading courses are more popular than ever (not to mention one-minute fairy tales for children). But nothing moves faster than fashion. It seems that when it comes to getting dressed, people are constantly racing against time. Once, fast fashion was […]

The post The Circulation Room – a reflection on ultra-fast fashion and sharing appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

E-waste is the EU’s fastest-growing waste stream, rising by around 2% every year. In 2022, Europeans bought 14.4 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment, yet only 5 million tonnes of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) were officially collected, about 11.2 kg per person. Nearly half of all e-waste slips through formal systems, and […]

The post What you need to know about e-waste, and how communities across Europe are taking action appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

This year, I had the opportunity to join the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) delegation at COP30, where we collectively engaged in 55 events across dozens of pavilions. Being part of such a dynamic and solutions-focused team was energising, and the scale of engagement around waste, methane, and resource use was more visible than […]

The post Insights from COP30: reflections on zero waste, methane, and the growing momentum for real solutions appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

It’s time to discover and learn more about the people behind Zero Waste Europe’s work and magic! In addition to the ZWE Changemakers series, where you can learn more about our member organisations, we invite you to get a closer look at our staff, what they do, and what inspires them to work for a […]

The post #MeetTheTeam – Anna Garstka appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Retorna, Zero Waste Europe, and Reloop organised a conference bringing together all the stakeholders involved in the future Deposit Return System in Spain. The Global Conference of Experts on Deposit Return Systems for Beverage Containers delivered a clear message: Spain is taking a decisive step toward a modern, effective waste-management model fully aligned with Europe. […]

The post “We need political momentum to launch the best Deposit Return System in the shortest possible time” appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

In October, Rezero brought together in Inca (Balearic Islands) leading experts in the field of packaging reuse from Germany, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. More than sixty people attended this event aimed at the hospitality sector to dispel doubts about a model change that offers significant benefits for the industry. The BIT Centre in […]

The post From a single-use to a cooperative logic: the Balearic Islands reflect on the path towards reuse in the hospitality sector appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

As part of the VI Estonian Zero Waste Conference, a series of engaging and thought-provoking workshops took place on 16–17 October, focusing on behavioural change, reuse systems, systemic transition, and inter-organisational collaboration within the circular economy. In this summary, we look back at the workshops and explore what both the facilitators and participants considered most […]

The post Insights from the IV Zero Waste Estonian Conference: what facilitators and participants highlighted appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

On a crisp Belgian autumn day, over 60 people gathered in Brussels to explore a topic close to our hearts at Zero Waste Europe: movement building. The event was part of a first-of-its-kind global gathering that ZWE hosted in Brussels. We spent the first two days diving into better organics management, followed by a day […]

The post Why movement building matters: a global conversation in Brussels appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

During the last few days here in Brussels, ZWE organised what we called a ‘global gathering on organics’ – becoming the largest event we convened here in Europe in regards to the number and diversity of participants from around the world. The 2 day event brought together 34 participants from 24 countries across all 5 […]

The post Bridging continents, building change: stories from the Global Gathering on Organics appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

This article was originally published in Hungarian, in our member organisation Humuzs’ 30th anniversary magazine. Click here to read the original post.  In recent years, we have faced multiple crises taking place amid challenging global circumstances. Climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss continue to intensify as we edge closer to irreversible disruption on several planetary […]

The post Rethinking resources: the next frontier for a zero waste future appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

It’s another regular weekday. You grab your morning coffee in a reusable cup from Burger King, drink it on your way to work, then effortlessly drop it into a machine at your local supermarket while picking up groceries – just like you’d return a glass bottle. No detours, no hassle, no guilt about single-use waste […]

The post Berlin’s successful gamble: making reuse as easy as bottle returns appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

It’s time to discover and learn more about the people behind Zero Waste Europe’s work and magic! In addition to the ZWE Changemakers series, where you can learn more about our member organisations, we invite you to get a closer look at our staff, what they do, and what inspires them to work for a […]

The post #MeetTheTeam – Nathan Dufour appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Last week, the Zero Waste Europe team gathered for our yearly team retreat. With the borrowed motto Polako*, we embarked on three days of deep dives into zero waste topics, workshops on our principles for working with our members, further tailoring our impact framework and how to capture and amplify stories from our network.  Our […]

The post Talks from the heart: how to keep engaged in times of uncertainty? appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

As part of the Waste Framework Directive’s (WFD) latest revision, the European Union has for the first time approved legally binding targets for food waste prevention to be met at the national level by the end of 2030: 10% in food processing and manufacturing and 30% in retail, restaurants, food services, and households. It is […]

The post Methane mitigation and the WFD: Slashing emissions begins with food waste prevention appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Back in May 2025, our members unanimously adopted our 2025-2030 Strategic Framework that emerged from the collective wisdom of our network, also closing a thoughtful collective process.  Our newly adopted Strategic Framework 2025-2030 represents more than just a roadmap. It embodies our commitment to collective wisdom, participatory leadership, and the courage to nurture hope during […]

The post Building hope through collective vision and action: our 2025-2030 Strategic Framework journey appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

In the shift to a circular textile system, it’s easy to focus on the visible parts—collection bins, sorting technology, recycling plants, resale platforms. But there’s an invisible layer that makes or breaks all of it: data. Without reliable, shared data, municipalities, businesses, and recyclers are left guessing. With it, they can design smarter systems, reduce […]

The post Three reasons why circular textiles can’t work without data appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.