During the IERC conferences the Steering Committee nominates a leader for the “Honorary Award” which is presented for remarkable commitments and outstanding actions in the recycling industry and incredible moves for the environment.
Kurt Kyck
Ireland
Receives this award in recognition of a long and industrious career in the metals and WEEE Recycling industry. He is renowned for his passion and knowledge, having developed a robust and compliant company in Ireland over the past 45 years. As President of EERA since 2019 (now in its’ 20th year), he uses his platform to advocate for a level playing field, encouraging innovation, long-term stability and economic growth across our industry.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2024
Chris Slijkhuis
Recycling Consultant, Austria
Chris Slijkhuis receives this award in recognition of a career dedicated to the effective recycling of plastics. As a plastics recycling expert, he has been an active promoter of compliance and innovative solutions for plastics, and has a deep understanding of all technical and legal aspects of the plastics processing and recovery industry. During his career he has made a considerable contribution to our society and our Industry. He has also been a really active supporter of the International Electronics Recycling Congress throughout his career.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2023
Surendra Borad Patawari
Gemini Corporation N.V., Belgium
Surendra Borad receives this award in recognition of his lifetime’s work in sourcing, processing and reuse of raw materials. We also honour Mr. Patawari for his commitment to social impact through initiatives in India such as the planting of 100,000 trees in Momasar, Rajasthan; the clean-up of six villages in the Bikaner district and free medical consultations and treatments for about 200 patients a day spread across 10 villages in India.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2020
Norbert Zonneveld
EERA – European Electronics Recyclers Association, Netherlands
Norbert receives this award in recognition of his long-lasting leadership within EERA, for his tireless commitment to the e-waste agenda, recycling and contributions to the WEEE Directive dialogue and development over many years. He also receives the award for the support he has given to our congress, his contributions to the lecture group, his chairing of panel sessions and discussions and his overall support for the congress for many years.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2019
Manfred Fahrner
ALBA Electronics Recycling GmbH, Germany
Manfred receives this award in recognition of his lifetime contribution and personal commitment to developing the recycling industry and especially the WEEE recycling business. He was one of the founding fathers of the European Electronics Recyclers Association – EERA and was the first President for a period of 10 years. His practical knowledge and sober style of sharing his insights with others in the business is unrivalled and well appreciated.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2018
Christian Müller-Guttenbrunn
CEO of Müller-Guttenbrunn Group, Austria
Christian receives this award in recognition of his lifetime work developing new recycling processes and founding new Cleantech companies in Austria and Eastern Europe in various sectors such as plastics recycling and metal sorting. The prize also goes to the very innovative team of the Müller-Guttenbrunn Group, who have driven to implement new technologies to de-pollute E-waste and upgrade recycled plastics for the industry.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2017
Steve Skurnac
Global President of Sims Recycling Solutions, USA
Steve receives this award for his achievements, support and dedication to the e-waste industry. With a career spanning more than a quarter of a century, working in markets around the globe Steve has become a figurehead of an industry which historically managed waste but is now known as resource recovery or urban mining.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2016
Ron Garan
Impact CoLab, Retired NASA Astronaut, USA
Ron receives this award in recognition of his humanitarian spirit and work to improve our planet fostering collaborative efforts across global humanitarian organisations. He lived and worked in space for 178 days and has a unique perspective of our impact on the earth from space. He believes that appropriately designed and targeted social enterprise can solve many of the problems facing our world.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2015
Dr Bertrand Piccard
Psychiatrist, Balloonist and Explorer Initiator and Chairman of the Solar Impulse Project, Switzerland
Bertrand receives this award in recognition of his pioneering spirit to go beyond today’s human and technical limits to fly around the world without fuel and without pollution. His remarkable commitments to save energy, to demonstrate the importance of clean technologies, to place dreams and emotions, have also made a great impact on the younger generation.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2014
Jim Puckett
Basel Action Network, USA
Jim receives this award in recognition of his pioneering and breathless work to prevent the globalization of toxic wastes. The Steering Committee of IERC also honours his dedication to contributing comprehensive strategies for the proper treatment of e-waste across the globe.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2013
Dr Mike Biddle
Founder of MBA Polymers, Inc., USA
Today, MBA recycles 1 million pounds of plastics waste a day! Mike receives this award in recognition of his powerful spirit and lifetime work to develop a genius, very low energy-consuming process to recycle plastics waste in order to drive industry and society towards a better, cleaner and fairer world.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2012
Manfred Beck
Recycling International, Netherlands
Manfred receives this award in recognition of his lifetime work and editorial skills in promoting sustainability, inspiring entrepreneurs to invest in environmental technologies and businesses, in order to drive industry and society towards a better and cleaner world.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2011
Karl-Heinz Florenz
The Father of the WEEE Directive, European Parliament
Karl-Heinz receives this award in recognition of his outstanding commitment, leadership and fighting for a sustainable world, which resulted in the creation of the most important regulation regarding Electronics Waste Recycling on the European continent.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2010
Dr Marco Buletti
Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland
Marco receives this award in recognition of his outstanding commitment and leadership which resulted in the creation of the Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI).
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2009
Prof. Dr. Ir. Ab Stevels
Philips Consumer Electronics, Netherlands
Ab receives this award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to preserving our environment by developing and promoting efficient recycling technologies.
International Steering Committee IERC Salzburg, January 2008
Prof. Theo Lehner
Boliden Mineral AB, Sweden
Theo receives this Award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to preserve our environment by developing and promoting efficient recycling technologies.
International Steering Committee IERC Hamburg, January 2007
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