ZWE General Archives - Zero Waste Europe

Zero Waste Europe – Annual Report 2025

Our 2025 Annual Report celebrates the power of change, ambitious action, and daring to go further in a world marked by uncertainty and ecological breakdown.

As so rightly put by our Director, Esra Tat, ”zero waste transition is no longer a niche conversation, but a practical, political and cultural project unfolding across Europe. We see it in our cities, in our businesses, and increasingly in the policies that shape our economies.”

Explore the Zero Waste Europe 2025 Annual Report to find:

– Movement stories – discover how we’re supporting cities and municipalities in 17 European countries, bringing zero waste models and impact to more than 14 million citizens.

– Breakthrough policies shaped with our network – including important wins and progress in the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation and the European Circular Economy Act negotiations.

– Local zero waste heroes in action, from composting revolutions in Slovakia, Portugal, and Montenegro, to bold reuse systems in Rotterdam and Berlin, and plastic prevention plans in Lyon and Viladecans.

– Global collaboration and impact – see how we contributed to bringing zero waste forward globally, from participations in events like COP30 and Global Plastics Treaty negotiations to ZWE-led events on organics and movement-building.

– Inspiring zero waste stories and testimonials from our members and wider movement, showing the impact of collaborating with Zero Waste Europe and how our network is growing stronger and more united than ever.

Available in English.

Please note that the resolution of this document may appear scaled down for website accessibility purposes. For a full-resolution version of our 2025 Annual Report, please email [email protected].

Call for a moratorium on new waste incineration in the EU

156 civil society organisations have issued a joint letter to President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commissioners, and national ministers calling for an immediate moratorium on approving and building new waste incineration facilities across the European Union (EU).

Led by the Zero Waste Europe network, this coalition is calling for:

– An EU-wide moratorium on new waste incinerators (R1 and D10);

– Phase-down strategies for existing incineration capacity;

– Increased investment in circular economy infrastructure, such as reuse systems, composting, and recycling technologies.

The letter was sent as part of today’s wider Day of Action Against Incineration of the ‘’Better than Burning’’ campaign, which includes a Manifesto and social media testimonials on the harmful impact of waste incineration in their countries.

Available in English and Hungarian.

ZWE Strategic Framework 2025-2030

Europe continues to grapple with a paradoxical challenge: a rising resistance against environmental policies perceived as too rapid or unfair, while the current green policies and measures remain insufficient and inadequately resourced for the transition needed.

Our Strategic Framework 2025-2030 emerged from a thoughtful development and co-creation process that acknowledged the paradox of long-term planning in our rapidly changing and unpredictable world.

Our 2030 vision is clear: shifting from waste management to resource stewardship, we prioritise the interconnected wellbeing of humans, environment, and ecosystems, while empowering local communities to lead the way.

Our six Strategic Goals (SGs) will help us get there:

– SG1 and SG2: Materials reduction and health/wellbeing are situated closer to the vision. They are more aspirational than other goals, and long-term by design.

– SG3 and SG4: Policies and implementation model shaping are further deepened and grounded in our current work, with a stronger focus on prevention.

– SG5: Our network and movement are at the core of our work.

– SG6: Our organisational development and narrative efforts act as a springboard to enable all of our work.

Available in English.

Joint letter – urgent call to advance the European Parliament’s Plenary vote on the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD)

Together with EuRIC and six other organisations, Zero Waste Europe wrote to the Members of the European Parliament expressing concerns about the recent postponement of the European Parliament’s plenary vote on the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD).

Now scheduled for October 2025, this four-month delay is a big setback for establishing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles, which are urgently needed to tackle Europe’s growing textile waste crisis.

Available in English.

The State of Zero Waste Municipalities – 5th edition

The State of Zero Waste Municipalities is the most comprehensive overview yet of the work happening in Europe with municipalities to accelerate our transition towards zero waste. Furthermore, it includes updates from global regions about the progress being made with zero waste cities around the world, from Accra to Santiago.

The report also takes a deep dive into four of Europe’s best practice policies regarding textile waste, given its central focus for most municipalities today since the new introduction of the mandatory separate collection requirement at the start of 2025.

This fifth edition of this report takes a much stronger look at waste prevention measures being implemented in European cities. For example with Tallinn, who has achieved a 92% return rate for reusable tableware at city events and established over 10 municipal reuse and repair hubs. Or Komunala Škofja Loka in Slovenia, who have prevented 23,000 single-use cups with their rental service in 2024. Similarly, Zagreb has seen landfilling drop by 20% and separate waste collection rise by 50%, partly due to measures like banning single-use plastics in public buildings and increased door-to-door collection of materials.

We are more confident than ever in the power of stories to change the world. After reading the stories in this report, we hope you’re inspired to begin writing your own.

Full report available in English.

Country chapters available in their national languages (subject to ongoing translation requests).

Italian and Slovenian chapters available in German.

Civil society statement: unprecedented attacks on NGOs in the EU – we call on all democratic forces to act for a strong and independent civil society

Zero Waste Europe joined Civil Society Europe and 570+ organisations from across the EU and beyond to call on MEPs to address unprecedented attacks on NGOs in the European Parliament and ensure that citizens’ voices are heard.

European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an unprecedented attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. The attack, spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, is fuelled by disinformation. The attack resorts to misleading arguments to artificially fabricate a scandal, and is carried and amplified by badly informed media articles.

At a time when democratic values are being eroded across the EU and Member States, and civic actors acting for these values are increasingly under attack, this renewed offensive on funding for CSOs and on our legitimacy in the democratic process risks not only shrinking European civic spaces further but weakening democracy as a whole.

Available in English.

Zero Waste Europe – Annual Report 2024

Our 2024 Annual Report celebrates the power of community-led change and the many ways in which cities, communities, and campaigners across Europe are making zero waste solutions a reality.

Inside, you’ll find:

– Movement stories – discover how over 87 cities and 17 million citizens are now part of a growing zero waste ecosystem.

– Breakthrough policies shaped with our network – including important wins in the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), bio-waste management, and the links between health and circularity.

– Local zero waste heroes in action, from composting revolutions in Ukraine and Montenegro, to bold reuse systems in Catalonia and Belgium, to halting harmful chemical recycling projects in Slovakia.

– Global accountability and impact – see how wehelped launch powerful worldwide tools like the Global DRS Platform.

– Inspiring testimonies and key figures showing how our network is growing stronger and more united than ever.

Available in English.

Please note that the resolution of this document may appear scaled down for website accessibility purposes. For a full-resolution version of our 2024 Annual Report, please email [email protected].

A short story of Social Impact Bonds: Insights for NGOs from Zero Waste Europe’s experience

This report has been prepared based on previous work by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) as part of our New Financing Models programme. It documents our exploration of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) as an alternative funding mechanism for environmental and social initiatives. The findings in this paper reflect over two years of research and practical experience in developing new financing models for zero waste solutions.

The report examines our experience in exploring SIBs, including our successes and setbacks, and explores how it can be used as an innovative tool to help foster new standards in Europe for the circular economy and social welfare.

Available in English.

For an ambitious EU mandate embracing a holistic vision on circular economy – joint open letter to MEPs

In this open letter to Members of the European Parliament ahead of the hearings of EU Commissioner-designate candidates, a group of NGOs, EU organisations, and sustainable businesses calls out for stronger circular economy policies in Europe.

With the EU’s Circular Material Use Rate showing minimal improvement over the past decade, the letter asks for rigorous questioning of EU Commissioner-designate candidates on twelve critical areas, including binding resource reduction targets, improved Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks, a healthy circular economy, and circular taxation systems.

Available in English.

Zero Waste Europe – Annual Report 2023

2023 has been a year of significant progress and expansion for Zero Waste Europe, as we continued to implement zero waste solutions and advocate for policies prioritising waste prevention reuse, and reduction of resource use.

Our achievements have been made possible thanks to the expertise and dedication of our committed network in Europe and our close collaboration with our colleagues worldwide within the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and the Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) movement.

Dive into our 2023 Annual Report to discover last year’s major victories and achievements – all neatly compiled in one place.

Available in English.

Managing materials for 1.5°C

Now is the time to build an effective EU policy framework for managing materials – one that will accelerate Europe’s transition to a circular economy, support a strong industrial strategy, and make it easier to do business in Europe.

This joint report by Eunomia Research & Consulting, Handelens Miljøford, Minderoo Foundation, TOMRA, and Zero Waste Europe sets out the components of a regulatory framework that will:

– Harness the power of the Single Market and sustain its unity, enabling a fair and competitive system for all: business, industry, and consumers.

– Minimise administrative burdens for businesses operating in the EU.

– Support a fit-for-the-future industrial strategy that keeps Europe internationally competitive.

– Safeguard the bloc’s material security amid geopolitical uncertainties and price volatility.

– Consolidate Europe’s global leadership in circular economy and digital product policy.

Available in English.

Executive summary available in English and Ukrainian.

Sustainable resource management in the EU

White paper for an EU within planetary boundaries

Resource use is the big blind spot in the EU’s climate policy. 90% of global biodiversity loss and water stress, 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and over 30% of air pollution health impacts are caused by resource extraction and processing. We are calling on the EU to introduce a framework on sustainable resource management with science-based binding reduction targets. This policy paper, co-produced with eight other NGOs, outlines policy recommendations and arguments in favour of urgent action.

Available in English and Croatian.

A pledge for a zero waste Europe

In view of the upcoming 2024 European Parliament elections, we commit to push comprehensive policies which build a European Union based on the principles of sufficiency, resilience and wellbeing during the 2024-2029 mandate.

We therefore commit to put in place the measures to make a zero waste Europe become a reality, and we call on all European parties and elected individuals to join the pledge.

Available in English.

Enough is enough: The case for a moratorium on incineration

This report by Zero Waste Europe highlights a critical concern surrounding the surplus waste incineration capacities in the European Union. This comprehensive study reveals a troubling pattern of annual growth in waste incineration capacity, with a surplus reaching 60 million tonnes in 2020 and the potential to soar to a staggering 220 million tonnes by 2023. The report underscores the urgent need for EU-wide measures and recommends a reevaluation of incineration’s position in the waste hierarchy, potentially reclassifying it as a disposal operation, to foster more sustainable waste management practices throughout the region.

Executive summary available in English, Italian, and Bulgarian.

Full report available in English.

Joint letter on the need to include bio-waste targets in the Waste Framework Directive

The mandatory bio-waste collection in the EU, slated to begin on the 1st of January 2024, lacks concrete collection targets which will pave the way for inadequate schemes that fail to address the issue at hand. Bio-waste holds immense potential for recycling valuable resources. Yet, evidence shows that without a concerted effort to capture and utilise bio-waste, we will fall short of the ambitious 65% recycling target by 2035. A mere 34% of the total bio-waste was collected in 2018, leaving a staggering 40 million tonnes of potential soil nutrients to be discarded, polluting our environment and squandering invaluable resources. Our environment, our communities, and our future generations deserve better.

The signatories of this joint letter, including MEPs, environmental organisations, and industry leaders, demand mandatory targets on bio-waste reduction within the current revision of the WFD, and call on the European Commission to provide proper guidance and tools to Member States to achieve them. Adopting specific targets for biowaste in residual waste aims to incentivize proper collection and recycling practices.

The economics of reuse systems

After elimination, the widespread uptake of reusable packaging has the highest potential to reduce plastic production. This view is sustained by a recent shift in legislative focus in the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the United Nation’s Global Plastic Treaty to end plastic pollution. However, several brands and industry associations have been hesitant to wholeheartedly embrace reusable packaging.

The study by Searious Business and Zero Waste Europe examines 3 packaging categories in an open loop system (so not within one location), in Spain as an archetype country: 1) food containers for takeaway food, 2) secondary transport packaging and 3) beverage bottles. The results show that reuse packaging will only become even more economically viable in the next few years and providing faster return on investments.

Executive summary available in English, Estonian, Montenegrin, Ukrainian, Polish, and Croatian.

Full report available in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian.

Reinventing glass

Single-use glass is proven to have the highest overall environmental footprint compared to other single-use materials. On the other hand, reusable glass offers the greatest potential to reduce environmental impacts: reusable glass bottles produce 85% fewer carbon emissions than their single-use counterparts, 75% fewer carbon emissions than plastic (PET), and 57% fewer carbon emissions than aluminium cans.

Taking into account the findings of the ZWE-Eunomia ‘Decarbonisation of single-use beverage packaging’ study, ZWE and Reloop urge the EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation to set the path for single-use glass to be replaced with reusable glass in the coming years.

Available in English, Polish, and Croatian.

Decarbonisation of Single-Use Beverage Packaging

Commissioned to Eunomia Research & Consulting by Zero Waste Europe, this study builds upon Eunomia’s previous investigation into materials decarbonisation pathways in the report “Is Net Zero Enough for the Material Production Sector?”.

Focussing on the four materials with the greatest emissions globally, the study found that each will have great difficulty in reducing GHG emissions in line with a 1.5°C future by 2050, particularly if mass consumption continues and increases. Whilst studying the global material picture provides valuable insights; policymakers may find it more useful to have the same approach applied at the product level. Therefore, this study delves into the Net Zero pathways of aluminium, PET, and glass when utilised in beverage packaging within the EU, evaluating their potential performance within a cumulative GHG emissions budget that aligns with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

Full report available in English. Executive summary available in English, French, and Latvian.