Zbyněk Kozel, EKO-KOM

Zbyněk Kozel is a trained naval officer. From naval ships, his career later led through IT to manager of external affairs of Coca-Cola CR. In 1995, he entered the then-unknown waters of the packaging and waste industry. For the past 29 years, he has led the authorized packaging company EKO-KOM, whose goal is to ensure the use and recycling of packaging waste in ways that are favorable for the environment and at the same time economically sustainable in the long term.

In less than thirty years, he and his team have created a system for the collection and utilization of packaging waste in the Czech Republic which experts rank as one of the best in Europe. On a pan-European scale, he is a recognized expert on packaging waste and on the transition to a circular economy (EU bodies, OECD). He can predict even the most unexpected effects of proposed legislative measures and knows how to motivate his team for maximum performance. It is not by chance that he is often referred to as a practical visionary by those around him.