FEAD has elected its future president: Herwart Wilms will take over the presidency of the association on 1 January 2026. He was appointed at the General Assembly in Brussels, succeeding the Italian Claudia Mensi, with whom he has already been working closely for three years as FEAD’s vice-president. Herwart Wilms will continue this work during his presidency with strong commitment.
New business opportunities and large markets
FEAD comprises the associations and companies of the circular economy in Europe. Together, they form a strong voice and play an actice role in shaping European legislation. Because one thing is clear: all key decisions on what is implemented in national legislation and therefore in the individual countries are made right here: at European level.
“The fact that more and more parts of our national business are dependent on legal requirements that are conceived, made and adopted in Brussels has motivated me to pay more and more attention to them – both at my home asssociation BDE in Germany and, for several years, at FEAD. Explaining to political decision-makers again and again what we can achieve in our industry and what we need to do so is now my core business”, says Herwart Wilms. “This is where new business opportunities and large markets are emerging. And we all want markets that are free from restrictions and one-sided privileges, enabling fair competition to deliver the best services at reasonable prices. That is what I stand for. I am deeply honoured to serve as FEAD’s future president and fight for our common cause in this position.”
Herwart Wilms, managing director REMONDIS and vice-president of the BDE Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Kreislaufwirtschaft e. V. [Federal Association of the German Waste Management Industry], will be the new president of FEAD from January 2026
A strong voice for the circular economy in Europe
The need for such a coordinated European approach to issues such as climate protection and the circular economy had already become clear at the beginning of the 1980s. At that time, waste management companies joined forces to provide the European institutions with a lobby organisation so that the challenges facing the industry could be tackled in a coordinated manner and with a common voice. Norbert Rethmann, now honorary chairman of the supervisory board of the RETHMANN Group, played a leading role in the founding of FEAD. He recognised very early on that the waste policy framework within the EU member states was being influenced by Brussels and therefore became increasingly involved at European level. Herwart Wilms will continue his successful work – currently as vice-president and from 2026 as president of FEAD.
“It is a great honour for me to fight for our common cause as the future President of FEAD.“
Herwart Wilms
Image credits: image 1: © FEAD; image 2: © REMONDIS
