INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTE ASSOCIATION

Their core work

ISWA is the global professional association for the waste management sector, bringing industry expertise on solid waste handling, recycling systems, and circular economy practices into EU research projects. Within H2020 consortia, they contribute knowledge on waste streams, recycling infrastructure, and end-of-life product management — bridging the gap between laboratory-scale recycling innovations and real-world waste processing operations. Their role typically involves dissemination, industry engagement, and ensuring research outputs align with practical waste management realities across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ISWA's early H2020 work (2017–2019) was broad, spanning circular economy design for consumer products (ECOBULK) and citizen-driven environmental sensing (D-NOSES). From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened significantly toward advanced materials recycling — particularly composites, coated plastics, textiles, and lightweight automotive materials. The shift from general circular economy concepts to specific industrial recycling processes (solvent-based recycling, debonding-on-demand) signals a move toward deeper technical engagement with hard-to-recycle material streams.

ISWA is moving toward electric vehicle materials and composites recycling — expect them to seek projects on EV battery component recovery, multi-material separation, and industrial-scale recycling pilot plants.

How they like to work

ISWA operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as an industry association rather than a research performer. With 86 unique partners across 18 countries from just 5 projects, they work in large Innovation Action consortia (3 of 5 projects are IAs), which typically have 15-20+ members. This makes them a network connector: they bring waste industry credibility and dissemination reach without competing for the technical research lead.

With 86 unique partners across 18 countries from only 5 projects, ISWA has an exceptionally broad network relative to their project count — a result of participating in large Innovation Action consortia spanning most of Europe.

What sets them apart

ISWA is not a research lab or a company — it is THE global professional body for waste management, headquartered in Rotterdam. This gives them unmatched convening power: they can connect project results with waste operators, municipalities, and recycling companies worldwide. For consortium builders, ISWA offers instant credibility with the waste sector, broad dissemination channels, and access to practitioner feedback that purely academic partners cannot provide.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ALMA
  Largest funding (€276K) and most recent project, targeting eco-design of electric vehicles with advanced lightweight materials — signals ISWA's strategic move into EV recycling.
• DECOAT
  Tackles a genuinely difficult recycling challenge — debonding-on-demand for coated and painted materials across automotive, electronics, and textiles sectors.
• D-NOSES
  An outlier in ISWA's portfolio: citizen science for odour pollution, showing their range beyond solid waste into broader environmental and social engagement.