Skip to content
Zero Waste Europe
#ZeroWasteCities Donate to our activities
  • About
    • About zero waste
    • Why a zero waste vision?
    • Our journey and values
    • ZWE’s Theory of Change
    • Meet the team
    • Funding
  • The movement
    • Our network
    • GAIA
    • #bffp and RPa
    • Coalitions and partnerships
  • Our work
    • Global
    • EU policy
    • Local
    • Projects
    • Campaigns
  • Resources
    • Library
    • Press releases
    • Blog posts
    • Newsletter
    • Events
  • Impact
    • Legislation victories
    • Members’ victories
    • Numbers and statistics
    • Testimonials
  • Join us
    • Work with us
    • Join the ZWE network
    • Donate
  • Contact us
  • About
    • About zero waste
    • Why a zero waste vision?
    • Our journey and values
    • ZWE’s Theory of Change
    • Meet the team
    • Funding
  • The movement
    • Our network
    • GAIA
    • #bffp and RPa
    • Coalitions and partnerships
  • Our work
    • Global
    • EU policy
    • Local
    • Projects
    • Campaigns
  • Resources
    • Library
    • Press releases
    • Blog posts
    • Newsletter
    • Events
  • Impact
    • Legislation victories
    • Members’ victories
    • Numbers and statistics
    • Testimonials
  • Join us
    • Work with us
    • Join the ZWE network
    • Donate
  • Contact us
Donate

Join the ZWE network

Step 1 of 4 - Check the eligibility criteria

25%
  • Step 1: Check the eligibility criteria

    Only non-profit organisations and citizen groups can become members of Zero Waste Europe. We do not offer membership opportunities for individuals, businesses nor for government representatives.
    • If you are an individual and want to support Zero Waste Europe, explore our donation and support options.
    • If you represent a municipality, are a government official or a waste professional, we warmly invite you to consult our cities programme.
    Only NGOs that fully align with the zero waste hierarchy and with Zero Waste Europe principles can become members of Zero Waste Europe.

    Only NGOs operating in Europe can become members of Zero Waste Europe.
    • If your organisation is located outside our European reach, we kindly invite you to get in touch with the respective regional office of our mother organisation Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) via this application form.
  • Step 2: Learn more about Zero Waste Europe

    Take time to explore the following links in order to have a better understanding of who we are and what we do as a network.
    • Who is Zero Waste Europe?
    • Stories from our network that represent the diversity of our work:
      • The story of Eta Beta
      • The story of zero waste cities in ‘State of Zero Waste Municipalities 2024’ report
      • Recycled content in plastics - the mass balance approach
    • The zero waste principles and zero waste hierarchy
    • Our network
  • Step 3: What membership in Zero Waste Europe means

    Please take time to carefully explore what the application process looks like,and what would be your benefits and obligations as a member of Zero Waste Europe.

    Zero Waste Europe Membership Process

    Zero Waste Europe movement gathers 35 organisations representing 28 countries across Europe. The staff team and current members are committed to nurture and develop a vibrant network, sharing common values and objectives.

    The membership process is designed to help all stakeholders (members, staff team and applicants) to get to know each other and have a better understanding of our mutual needs and expectations. We aim at exploring potential synergies as soon as possible in this process.

    It is also designed to share our movement culture: a common willingness to contribute in a transparent and open manner, to achieve a Zero Waste Europe.

    The membership process is comprised of three phases:

    1) Official application and pre-validation
    First of all, if you comply with the already mentioned eligibility criteria, we invite you to fill in a pre-application available on our website. A discussion will follow with the Membership Coordination Officer to further explore your expectations and needs, and you might be asked to submit an official, more extensive application form. After an interview with the Membership Coordination Officer and ZWE management, ZWE Board will pre-approve or decline applications on a monthly basis. A pre-approved applicant becomes an “associate member” of ZWE.

    2) Onboarding and validation
    From this stage on, you will be included in our mailing list and online discussion and decision platform. You can also be assigned a fellow among our members to help you navigate in the ZWE movement. For a minimum of 3-months period, you are invited to get in touch with other members, and start connections. At the end of this period, you are asked to submit a proposal to become a full member together with names of three endorsing members from the network.

    3) Full membership
    If pre-approved by ZWE Board, endorsed by 3 members and with the consent of other members, your organisation becomes a full member of ZWE network! The fellowship can continue for an extra year depending on the typology of new members and their needs. To officialise your membership, your organisation will be kindly asked to sign ZWE Membership Agreement, extract of which you can see below.

    During the whole process, your main contact will be the Membership Coordination Officer.

    Commitments of ZWE Members

    Members of Zero Waste Europe agree to take part in the development of zero waste principles in their country/region/area, and in the development of the ZWE network.

    What is required?

    • NGO status with headquarters in Europe;
    • Understand and accept of ZW principles and ZW hierarchy;
    • Pay the membership fees on a yearly basis (please see below);
    • Take part in internal discussion and coordination tools (mailing list, drive and Loomio);
    • Share regular reports about activities and actions in the online monthly Loomio check-in;
    • Take part in common actions and campaigns; and
    • Include ZWE membership in communications.

    What is expected?

    • Represent a group of people;
    • Attend the Annual General Meeting in the first semester of the year and the yearly Budget Meeting in the second semester;
    • Participate in the decisions of the association ZWE; 
    • Organize, or support, the potential network of zero waste projects and programs in your country/region/area;
    • Be open to collaboration with other organisations, companies and universities striving to promote or implement zero waste; and
    • In case another recognised ZW group or another GAIA member exists in another part of the country be open to collaboration.

    What is encouraged?

    • Help identify potential new members and partners in your area; and
    • Take part in fellowships (support of new members).

    How ZWE supports its network

    Zero Waste Europe team is committed to run the organisation and fulfill the role of network coordinator. This involves delivering on our work programme commitments, ensuring the highest policy impact possible, building and expanding the zero waste community and vision, and ensuring that our network is a space for growth, inspiration and innovation. All members are benefiting from being part of this network. In addition to this, ZWE team and network agree on supporting new members to achieve their ZW mission as explained below:

    Capacity building

    • Organise regular webinars and trainings for technical knowledge (waste management) and policy expertise sharing; and
    • Organise capacity building sessions based on the needs expressed by members.

    Network

    • Connect members with relevant experts and key players across Europe; and
    • Ease the flow of information among members to allow cross-pollination of ideas.

    Joint actions

    • Include and support members in European-wide campaigns; and
    • Provide members with toolkits and guidelines for developing ZW projects and programs.

    Communication and visibility

    • Build and maintain the identity of Zero Waste Europe and its network; 
    • Include members in communication tools; and
    • Promote members’ actions through its communication channels.

    Membership fees

    The annual membership fee for every member organisation is between 75 EUR and 1,000 EUR per year. ZWE understands that some ZW groups are bigger than others and sometimes this bears no relationship with the financial capacity of the organisation. For this reason, ZWE collects membership fees on a sliding scale of minimum 75 EUR and up to 1,000 EUR, leaving it open for the member organisations to decide the exact amount that they want to and can contribute.

  • Step 4: Tell us more about who you are

  • Please note that only non-profit organisations and citizen groups can apply.
  • Check the zero waste hierarchy
  • Please note that only non-profit organisations and citizen groups can apply.
  • Check the zero waste principles
  • Please note that only non-profit organisations and citizen groups can apply.
  • Please provide an approximate proportion of different financing sources in %, such as EU funding, UN funding, government funding, membership fees, funding coming from the private sector, etc.
  • Zero Waste Europe Network
  • This form is considered a pre-application or an initial point of contact and not an official application form. Once we have received this form, our Membership Coordination Officer will get back to you and follow-up on the next steps.

Supported by the LIFE Programme of the European Union. This website does not necessarily reflect the views of the donors.
Need to reach us?
Contact us
Our Newsletter:
subscribe now
Linkedin Facebook Instagram YouTube Threads Bluesky [email protected]
© Zero Waste Europe - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Design by Noiza
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimise our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Preferences
{title} {title} {title}