ACR+ members renewed their confidence in Iain Gulland by electing him today for another two-year mandate at the head of the network. Together with a Board of Directors rich of 14 members and the experienced Secretariat team in Brussels, he will drive ACR+ towards its objective of placing circular economy as a prerequisite to climate neutrality.
Brussels, Belgium – Adapting to the current situation keeping everyone on a social distancing mode, it is online and from every corner of Europe and beyond that ACR+ members gathered today for their annual General Assembly. The event – originally to be hosted in Edinburgh by Zero Waste Scotland – was nonetheless a great opportunity for the over 90 members of the network to discuss the upcoming activities and orientations of the network.
For already several years, ACR+ focused its activities on pushing for a stronger role of public authorities and integrating a multistakeholders approach in the debate on sustainability and has been advocating for making the link between circular economy and climate change. Following its conviction that circularity is a pre-requisite for climate-neutrality, ACR+ will keep devoting its energy to make both circularity and climate-neutrality a reality. This means seeing the big picture but also applying a territorial hierarchy and working at local level. The More circularity, less carbon campaign launched last year for the 25th anniversary of the network crystallizes the network’s engagement.
This campaign as well as other activities such as a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on waste management systems or activities to build a sustainable future for islands is bringing forward solutions that the network hope will be taken into consideration in the green recovery that is nowadays widely discussed. To rebuild our economies and systems shaken by the pandemic, we must maintain the Green Deal in the centre of European politics for the upcoming years.
A key moment of this online General Assembly was the renewal of ACR+ Board of Directors. The cities of Genoa, Odense, Porto Metropolitan area (LIPOR), SERIT Serit – Servizi per l'igiene del territorio (Verona), The Hague, as well as Province of Fryslân, Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Arnhem-Nijmegen region, Brussels region, Catalonia (ARC), Eastern-Midlands Region (EMRWO), Pays de la Loire region, Zero Waste Scotland and Wasteserv Malta have been elected as members of ACR+ Board of Directors until June 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome new members in ACR+ Board of Directors, from different parts of Europe. Not only it gives a new dynamic to our network and strengthens our local anchor, but it also exemplifies the necessary collaboration between front-runners and those at the beginning of their journey to achieve circular economy. It is also a timely reminder that a strong cohesion is needed at European level if we want to walk together towards a green future,” commented Francoise Bonnet, ACR+ Secretary General.
Soon after its election, the new Board of Directors convene and decided to renew the mandate of Iain Gulland, representing Zero Waste Scotland, at its head. Strong of already two years of experience leading ACR+, Iain Gulland is Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland and previously led its predecessor programme, WRAP Scotland. He has more than 25 years’ experience in sustainable resource management, including initiating recycling and reuse systems in the public and third sectors. Zero Waste Scotland leads on the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy strategy and other low carbon policy priorities, and is at the forefront of efforts to create a resource efficient, circular economy.
Commenting on his nomination, Iain Gulland, ACR+ President, said: “I am delighted and proud to be re-elected President of ACR+. Now more than ever the planet needs action to tackle climate change and build back better after the global pandemic, and ACR+ has proven to be an extremely effective network for members to share and collaborate on the delivery of practical actions on the ground to reduce waste and accelerate the circular economy. Our aim now needs to be about developing our leadership role further in the shift to the Circular Economy across Europe and beyond, through showcasing the art of the possible and providing practical support to many more regions and municipalities so they too have the confidence to adopt new approaches to reducing waste and meeting wider climate change targets.”
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