ZWE’s safeguarding commitment, policy and procedure

Our commitment to safeguarding

Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) carries out its activities with professionalism and full transparency and honours the values of the organisation. In line with our mission and values, we are committed to safeguarding anyone involved in our activities and organisation, including children and young people. 

Safeguarding means protecting people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and harassment. For ZWE, it refers to our responsibility that people involved in our organisation and those we engage with in delivering our work are kept safe from harm. It also means having the mechanisms in place to ensure any safeguarding reports and responses are in line with our responsibilities and respect people’s dignity and human rights. ZWE has a safeguarding policy and procedure aligned with this commitment.   

Our safeguarding commitment aligns with ZWE’s aim of putting people’s wellbeing and rights at the heart of our work. This means not only maximising the social benefits of zero waste solutions, but also ensuring that communities are actively involved in shaping them. We pay particular attention to those most affected economically, geographically, or in terms of health. We are also mindful that the transition should not exacerbate existing inequalities or create new barriers to access. 

Our safeguarding principles

Our approach to safeguarding is grounded in our organisational values and guided by the following principles:

• Prioritising positive impact: ZWE strives to design and deliver all our activities to create a positive impact and safeguard those who are involved in our work. 
• We apply an intersectional approach to safeguarding: We recognise the value that individuals and groups of different intersecting identities bring to our work. We also ensure we understand the risks for different individuals and groups and what is needed to safeguard effectively.
• We prioritise learning and improvement: We learn from what works in our safeguarding approach and what does not and we adapt our approach accordingly.
• Acting with integrity: ZWE promotes an organisational culture where we are inclusive, respectful and have zero tolerance for harm to those we work with or impact upon. Their rights and well-being are at the forefront of any action we take. We pay particular attention to those people who might be most at risk of harm. 
• Transparent communications & process: We care how we safeguard those involved in our work. We openly and clearly communicate on safeguarding. We are transparent in how we prevent harm as well as how we address reports of, and respond to, harm.

Scope of our safeguarding policy

Our safeguarding policy is binding for all ZWE staff (employees and interns) and Board members. It also applies to partners formally engaged in delivering our work, where we expect partners to uphold safeguarding principles and commitments in line with our own.

What constitutes a safeguarding concern 

A safeguarding concern under this policy arises when there is reason to believe that a ZWE staff member (employee or intern), a ZWE Board member (in their board capacity), or formally contracted ZWE partners has caused harm, is causing harm, or poses a risk of harm to someone participating in ZWE’s activities.

The harm in question can include physical, emotional or psychological abuse, bullying and harassment, sexual abuse or harassment, and abuse of power.

ZWE cannot handle safeguarding concerns related to individuals who are not formally engaged with ZWE, and when outside the context of our work and activities. If your concern relates to conduct by a third party outside the scope of our work – such as another organisation, a public authority, or an individual not acting on behalf of ZWE – we will not be in a position to investigate or take action, and we encourage you to contact the appropriate body responsible for that person or organisation.

Report a safeguarding concern

If you have a concern about the conduct of a member of our staff, Board member or someone we have formally engaged to deliver or support our work, you can report your concern by completing this form or contacting us at [email protected]. We take all such reports seriously and will respond in line with our safeguarding principles and approaches. We protect those who raise concerns from any form of retaliation and commit to handling each case with a survivor-centred approach, sensitivity, and discretion.

You can choose to report a concern anonymously via the form but please note it may be more complex for us to fully assess the concern and take appropriate action should we not be able to communicate with the complainant.

To report any other type of concerns unrelated to safeguarding, please email [email protected]