Viliam Gašpar was elected unanimously by the Board and General Assembly of APEAL and succeeds Tony Waite of Tata Steel Europe. His role of President is effective from 1st January and is in line with the biennial rotating presidency of APEAL, defined by the association’s statutes.
Commenting on his nomination Mr Gašpar said: “Under Tony Waite’s strong leadership, APEAL extended its membership to unite all five producers of steel for packaging in Europe.
“At the same time the association was able to grow understanding of the value of multiple recycling for true circularity, contributing actively to secondary Circular Economy Package legislation regarding the reporting and calculation of real recycling rates. All this while reaching the record recycling rate of 82.5% in Europe, 3 years ahead of schedule!
“This constitutes a clear message to all stakeholders that steel for packaging is a tried, tested and sustainable solution ideally suited to a 21st century circular economy.
“There remain many challenges ahead however. The European Commission has demonstrated global leadership with its European Green Deal. Under my presidency, APEAL will strive to demonstrate how steel for packaging has a real role to play in achieving the ultimate aims of the Green Deal, most notably with the sustainable products and circular design policies of the Circular Economy Action Plan.
“Our focus will be on closing the loop of steel recycling even further through promotion of separate collection amongst other actions, but also on showing how steel packaging can improve resource efficiency in Europe by helping to save food and reduce waste.
“I now look forward to building on the achievements of Tony and the APEAL team, working with my colleagues, the European Commission, European Parliament, Member States and all stakeholders to deliver this ambitious plan.”
Viliam Gašpar has over 25 years of experience in Research & Development, Customer Technical Service and Product Innovation at U. S. Steel.
He holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh alongside a Ph.D. and a Master’s Degree in Metallurgy of Metals from the Technical University of Košice.
