SMEunited represents crafts and SMEs in Europe, with around 65 member organisations from over 30 European countries. It is a recognised cross-sectoral European social partner and speaks on behalf of the 26.1 million SMEs in Europe which employ more than 89 million people. SMEunited's work promotes the integration of circular principles into SME business models. It advocates for enabling policies and frameworks at all levels. It translates complex EU frameworks into actionable guidance for SMEs and provides decision makers with reality checks on boosters and blockers for SMEs' circular business models.

Andreas Brieger is Director for Climate, Energy and Environment Policy at SMEunited, representing European SMEs in the green transition. With extensive experience in EU and national public affairs, he previously worked for German and European social partners on climate, energy and economic policy. He is a member of the European Commission’s Ecodesign Forum and the Expert Group on Circular Economy / Sustainable Production and Consumption. A strong advocate for a fair and effective green transition, Andreas is passionate about making circularity a success story for people, SMEs and the planet.

Copa and Cogeca are the united voice of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU. Together, they ensure that EU agriculture is sustainable, innovative and competitive, guaranteeing food security for half a billion people throughout Europe. Copa represents over 23 million farmers and their families whilst Cogeca represents the interests of 22 000 agricultural cooperatives. They have 66 member organisations from the EU Member States. Copa and Cogeca are among the founding members of the European Bioeconomy Alliance.

Oana Neagu is Director of the General Affairs team at Copa Cogeca. The team covers topics related to the circular economy and bioeconomy, the environment and climate change, research and innovation, food waste, etc. Oana is an agricultural engineer and has a Master’s degree in business administration. She previously worked at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture as a policy officer, in charge of managing market measures. Prior to joining the Commission in 2006, she was the adviser on European integration at the Ministry of Agriculture in Romania and was involved in preparing Romania’s accession to the European Union.

She is a member of the management committee of the multi-stakeholder platform on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the EU and actively involved in various expert groups on the bioeconomy, forestry and rural development.

FEAD represents the private waste and resource management industry across Europe. Its members, national waste management associations and companies, operate across the entire value chain, including collection, sorting, recycling, recovery and disposal. FEAD brings together around 3 000 private waste management companies, which operate in 60% of Europe’s municipal waste markets and 75% of industrial and commercial waste, supporting over 500 000 local jobs. FEAD’s vision is to shift Europe's overall material use towards recycled materials, promoting sustainable waste management as a cornerstone of the circular economy, contributing to environmental protection, resource efficiency and climate goals.

Paolo Campanella is Secretary-General of FEAD, leading the organisation’s advocacy for a stronger and more coherent European legislative framework to support the circular economy. With over ten years of experience across multiple areas of the waste sector, including plant design, operational management, consultancy and public affairs, he brings a comprehensive understanding of the industry's challenges and opportunities. Trained as an environmental engineer, he has managed the design and permitting of waste treatment facilities and assessed project proposals within the public administration of the Province of Bari (Italy). He previously served as a board member of the Italian Association of Environmental Engineers. 

Recycling Europe is the leading voice for a competitive European recycling industry, enabling the circular economy and preserving resources for future generations.

Julia Ettinger joined Recycling Europe in December 2018. She is a fully qualified lawyer in Germany and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from George Mason University in Virginia. During her time in the United States, she interned with the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency in Washington, D.C. She also worked at a Brussels-based consultancy advising multinational companies on environmental, health and safety (EHS) matters. At Recycling Europe, Julia focuses on regulatory, policy and legal issues of importance to the recycling industry. She has served as Secretary General since April 2024.

The European Remanufacturing Council is based in Brussels and represents multiple business sectors and trade associations that extend the life of products through remanufacture and refurbishment. A steering group made up of five member organisations advises on the annual work programme as they aim to increase sales of remanufactured products in Europe.

David Fitzsimons became Director of the European Remanufacturing Council in January 2017. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain group. He is also a member of the United Nations Environment Programme on Product Life Extension. He has welcomed the latest version of circular economy metrics for business from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which starts to account for the CO₂ savings from remanufacturing and refurbishment processes. He participates in the World Steel Association working group on remanufacturing; the WSA was the first materials organisation to acknowledge the sustainability benefits of using durable materials in products designed for extended life cycles. Wherever possible, David promotes the work done by Professor Nabil Nasr in the USA to develop the evidence base for Value Retention Processes, including remanufacturing.

Ms Ettinger is a lawyer in Germany and holds a Master of Law degree from George Mason University (USA). Before joining EuRIC, she worked at a Brussels-based consultancy, advising multinational companies on environmental, health and safety matters.

EuRIC is a confederation which represents the interests of European recycling industries within the EU. It spans the majority of waste streams, and so can facilitate cooperation between national recycling and resource management federations and companies from over 23 European countries, operating both locally and globally.

EuRIC represents:

• 5 500+ companies generating an aggregated annual turnover of about €95 billion, including large companies and SMEs involved in the recycling of and trade in various resource streams
• 300 000 local jobs which cannot be outsourced to non-EU countries
• a million tons of waste recycled each year (metals, paper, glass, plastics, WEEE, ELVs, tyres, textiles, construction & demolition, etc.).

By turning waste into resources, recycling loops recycled materials back into value chains. Recyclers play a key role in bridging resource efficiency, climate change policy and the industrial transition.