The EWWR jury is composed of professionals working in the environmental sector who are recognised at the European level. They are in charge of examining the shortlisted actions (those pre-selected by the EWWR coordinators) and of designating a winner for each of the 5 categories, according to the EWWR criteria (visibility and communicational aspects; quality of content; originality and exemplarity; and lasting impact & follow-up). The jury members for this edition are:

• Public administrations and organisations: Åsa Ågren Wikström, European Committee of the Regions (CoR)

Åsa Ågren Wikström is a member of the European Committee of the Regions, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), and the County Council of Region Västerbotten. She is Vice President of the Regional Development Board of Region Västerbotten, the Kvarken Council European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), and the Europe Forum Northern Sweden (EFNS). With extensive experience in government administration, she is skilled in crisis management, political communication, and progress monitoring. Åsa has also worked on the Fit for 55 packages, focusing on the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and LULUCF, and has a background as both a public sector leader and a private sector entrepreneur.

• Business/Industry: Maria Vera Durán, European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC)

Maria Vera Durán works as Project Manager at EuRIC. She is a Chemical Engineer by education, and she holds an MBA from the University of Malaga (Spain). At EuRIC, she focusses on issues related to plastics recycling, packaging, and packaging waste, as well as on research and innovation projects funded by the EU. This includes project coordination and implementation of tasks such as legislative overview, policy recommendations, standardiSation, and communication & dissemination of results. 

“It is time, now more than ever, to turn Europe’s economy into a fully circular model, saving CO2 emissions and preserving resources for future generations. This transformation will only be possible with public and private innovative solutions aiming at reducing our consumption footprint and turning waste into valuable resources – EWWR actions are a shining example of this!”

• Associations/NGOs: Andrea Gonzalez, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)

Andrea has been working at the European Environmental Bureau since 2018. Currently, as part of the Membership team, she focuses on membership engagement, making sure the more than 180 EEB members stay involved and empowered to act. On a personal level Andrea creates social media content to encourage people in her region of Spain to reduce waste and become more conscious consumers. 

“We need to drastically reduce the waste we produce, landfills are highly polluting (also in the countries to which we ship our waste). Effective awareness-raising campaigns among the citizens (especially students) and the right tools and regulations provided by our governments are key in helping us shift to a more responsible consumption model.”

• Educational Establishments: Ekrem Sahin, Youth Express Network

Ekrem Sahin is the Secretary General of the Youth Express Network, a prominent organization dedicated to empowering young people and fostering social inclusion across Europe. The network drives innovative projects and educational programs focused on sustainability and community engagement.   

• Citizens: Jack McQuibban, Zero Waste Europe (ZWE)

Jack coordinates ZWE’s local work with cities, waste companies, and businesses. With a decade of experience in sustainability and youth-led development, he has built campaigns influencing policies at the UN, EU, and UK government levels. Jack leads efforts to implement zero waste solutions and strategies locally, including creating online tools, running workshops, and providing technical assistance. He helped design the world’s first Zero Waste Cities Certification and serves as an EU expert peer reviewer. Additionally, he contributes to the European Commission’s waste sorting proposals, represents Europe on the Zero Waste International Alliance Board, and volunteers for the UK Green Party.

“Waste prevention actions, and therefore keeping the value of materials within our economy rather than being burnt or landfill, is one of the most critical (and yet not too difficult) steps we can all take today to help reduce our negative impact on the planet.”