13/11/25

Maison de La Poste
Tour & Taxis
Brussels
#TRENDSIMPACT

Show to the world that

You have
impact

Who will earn the title of ‘Most Sustainable Company’?
The Trends Impact Awards spotlight companies that truly place sustainability and positive impact at the heart of their strategy. In five categories, inspiring organizations are recognized for their concrete contributions to building a better world.
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 13, at Maison de la Poste, Tour & Taxis in Brussels.

New this year: an afternoon full of inspiration
Engaging sessions, hands-on workshops, and roundtable discussions packed with insights, tools, and practical tips to help you make a difference.

Show to the world that

You have impact

13/11/25

Maison de La Poste
Tour & Taxis – Brussels
#TRENDSIMPACT

Who will earn the title of ‘Most Sustainable Company’?
The Trends Impact Awards spotlight companies that truly place sustainability and positive impact at the heart of their strategy. In five categories, inspiring organizations are recognized for their concrete contributions to building a better world.
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 13, at Maison de la Poste, Tour & Taxis in Brussels.

New this year: an afternoon full of inspiration
Engaging sessions, hands-on workshops, and roundtable discussions packed with insights, tools, and practical tips to help you make a difference.

Vision

The Trends Impact Awards 2025 aim to spotlight and honor projects that make a tangible, positive difference in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Unlike awards that focus on companies or theoretical innovations, these categories emphasize real-world applications and outcomes. We seek to recognise initiatives that not only propose solutions but have demonstrated measurable impact in areas such as environmental sustainability, social equity, and public health.

The awards are designed to inspire a ripple effect—encouraging others to adopt or scale these successful approaches. By highlighting projects with proven results, we aim to foster a community of innovators and changemakers who are driving progress and contributing to a more sustainable, equitable, and healthy world.

The focus on “impact” ensures that the winning projects are not just well-intentioned but are actively creating positive change in their respective fields.

Speakers

Thomas de Groote

Founder River Cleanup


Topic: From 10 minutes to 1000 rivers

Co-creation and introducing new concepts and innovative services in organizations and communities run like a thread in Thomas's professional career. He was active in the health care sector as a lean coach, program manager, and change manager. In June 2018, he took a decisive turn in his career. Thomas quit his job and decided to dedicate his life to clean rivers. After a 10min cleanup challenge he became aware of the problem and started a global movement with over 325000 people in 100 countries. Thomas founded River Cleanup with the ambition to implement structural solutions to make rivers-plastic free! Together, river by river.

Alexia Macris

Energy & Sustainability Advisory consultant PwC Belgium


Topic: Power Shift: Energizing the Future

After earning her degree in Geological Sciences from Imperial College London, Alexia began her career in environmental consulting, delivering scientific analyses and reports to help companies assess and mitigate environmental impacts. She quickly specialized in energy consulting, guiding energy-intensive clients in reducing their carbon footprint and energy consumption through tailored scenarios. Transitioning to management consulting, Alexia played a key role in developing a sustainability go-to-market strategy for a leading consulting firm, empowering both consultants and clients to deepen their understanding of sustainability and carbon reduction measures. Today, she partners closely with clients on transformation programs spanning operating model design, digital strategy, and organizational capability enhancement.

Anne Snick

Full Member of the Club of Rome, independent systems thinker focused on regenerative economics and sustainable finance; columnist for Trends


Topic: Attracting investors and staying true to your impact mission: walking a tightrope?

Anne holds a PhD in Educational Sciences, with a specialization in ethics and systems analysis. Throughout her career, she has combined academic research with practical work in the fields of poverty, gender, mental health, and the social economy. Her research focuses on the underlying mechanisms that lead to social and ecological harm, particularly the monetary and value systems. Her recent work explores the many innovations developed by companies, citizens, and governments to transition toward a regenerative economy. She regularly reports on these developments in her columns for Trends.

Aude Grillot

Circular Economy Advisor hub.brussels


Topic: Sustainability and performance: test, prioritize, transform. A 30-minute hands-on workshop to understand and embrace ESG concepts, offered by hub.brussels

Aude Grillot is an advisor in the support department at hub.brussels, the Brussels Agency for Entrepreneurship. She helps companies implement circular business models and also coordinates the BeCircular call for projects, which funds and supports circular economy initiatives in the Brussels region.

Charles-Louis Stinglhamber

Co-founder & CEO No Waste Republic


Topic: The Circular Economy, a Challenge for SMEs: which obstacles need to be overcome and how can the opportunities be seized?

Charles-Louis Stinglhamber, Co-founder & CEO of No Waste Republic Charles-Louis is a pioneer in sustainable food and founder of No Waste Republic. Since 2019, he has been helping bakers, butchers, and restaurants transform surplus bread into circular ingredients such as Panko and breadcrumbs, reducing their CO₂ footprint while enhancing the customer experience.

Chloé Carpiaux

Circular Economy, Directorate-General for SME Policy, FPS Economy


Topic: The Circular Economy, a Challenge for SMEs: which obstacles need to be overcome and how can the opportunities be seized?

Chloé Carpiaux is an attaché within the Circular Economy service at the FPS Economy. She is particularly involved in the Belgium Builds Back Circular project, which aims to raise awareness of the circular economy among SMEs. This project led to the development of the goforcircular.be platform, which helps entrepreneurs transition to a circular business model.

Gert Linthout

Partner at Ray & Jules, co-founder of Mic Mac Minuscule, lead explorer at CEE, and columnist for Trends


Topic: Sustainable entrepreneurship: from circular baby products to solar-roasted coffee.

Gert Linthout is an experienced professional in the field of circular economy. As a partner at Ray & Jules – the world’s first coffee company to roast coffee using solar energy – he is committed to driving sustainable innovation. Ray & Jules is a clear example of how the technology developed by cleantech company CEE, where Gert is also active, is being put into practice. Previously, he co-founded Mic Mac Minuscule with his partner, a circular platform offering birth registries with high-quality second-hand baby items.

Jan Beyne

Sustainability Expert & Professor at Antwerp Management School, author of “The Road to Sustainable Entrepreneurship”


Topic: Navigating complexity: How to anticipate and shape the future

Sustainability Expert & Professor at Antwerp Management School, author of “The Road to Sustainable Entrepreneurship”

Jean-François Herremans

Co-CEO of EASI


Topic: Best workplace, best growth: how EASI pampers its employees while maintaining impressive growth!

Jean-François Herremans is the CEO of EASI, a fast-growing Belgian IT company with over 500 employees. EASI has been recognized for many years as one of the best workplaces in the country and has repeatedly received the Best Workplace award. This software and application developer stands out not only for its strong performance but also for its focus on employee wellbeing. Jean-François has been Co-CEO of EASI since 2019.

Jochen Vincke

Management Consulting Partner PwC Belgium


Topic: Making Waves: Innovations in Sustainable Production

After finishing his studies as a bio-engineer in environmental sciences, Jochen studied business economics and attained an MBA from Vlerick Management School. Early in his career, Jochen was involved in developing corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies with his employer. As a master black belt in lean six sigma, Jochen brings a data-driven mindset to clients, be it in manufacturing or sustainability related matters. Jochen has a passion for both people and technology, two crucial elements to make any transformation stick, even more so in the sustainability space. His ambition is to play a part in developing and helping foster a new industrial model, built on innovation, customer proximity and short and circular supply chains to make an overall net positive contribution to society.

Julie Englebert

Circular Economy, Directorate-General for SME Policy, FPS Economy


Topic: The Circular Economy, a Challenge for SMEs: which obstacles need to be overcome and how can the opportunities be seized?

Julie Englebert is an attaché within the Circular Economy service at the FPS Economy. She is particularly involved in the Belgium Builds Back Circular project, which aims to raise awareness of the circular economy among SMEs. This project led to the development of the goforcircular.be platform, which helps entrepreneurs transition to a circular business model.

Koen De Ruyck

General Manager PURFI Manufacturing and winner Trends Impact Awards 2023


Topic: Making Waves: Innovations in Sustainable Production

Koen is a seasoned Textile Engineer with over 36 years of experience. He also holds a Master's degree in Supply Chain Management from Vlerick Business School. At PurFi, he is instrumental in advancing innovative technologies for high-end textile recycling, specifically focusing on Soft Mechanical Recycling. Koen is a passionate advocate for circular textiles, emphasizing the importance of reuse, reduction, and recycling. He firmly believes in the urgency of transitioning to sustainable practices, as natural resources are finite. Koen highlights the need for tangible action and remains driven by the motto: “Stay motivated and go for it.”

Marc Bosmans

Group Sustainability Director Knauf Insulation


Topic: Making Waves: Innovations in Sustainable Production

Marc Bosmans is Group Sustainability Director for Knauf Insulation. He’s in charge of drafting the sustainability vision and strategy for the group. He organizes the implementation of the strategy and accompanies the company in its transition towards delivery on the sustainability vision. Together with his team he covers areas as the Zero Carbon targets, the circular economy transition, the production with lower impacts and the link between the sustainability performance of the Knauf Insulation products and the demands from current and future customers. Marc Bosmans joined Knauf Insulation as Circular Economy Manager for Western Europe in 2019. Knauf Insulation is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of insulation products and solutions. We are present in more than 40 countries and have 27 manufacturing sites in 15 countries. Before joining Knauf Insulation, Marc worked as a Sustainable Construction Manager for Eurima, the European trade association for glass & stone mineral wool. He was an active player in LCA-related policies as well as in the development of Level(s), the European framework to assess the sustainability of buildings. Before working at Eurima he worked 8 years as a consultant at Intertek-RDC on the topics of environmental assessments and the implementation of larger waste management programs.

Marielle Coenjaerts

Site Environment & Sustainability Lead Takeda and finalist Trends Impact Awards 2022


Topic: Making Waves: Innovations in Sustainable Production

Marielle is an engineer with over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, where she has developed extensive expertise across multiple facets of the sector through project and program management, notably in technology transfer. Since 2021, she serves as Head of Environment and Sustainability at Takeda’s Lessines manufacturing site, the company’s reference facility for plasma-derived therapies used in the treatment of rare diseases. Passionate about driving meaningful change, Marielle is committed to implementing practical, impactful initiatives that reduce the site’s environmental footprint across all dimensions, water, energy, waste, and life cycle management.

Pauline Zappa

Economic Transition Advisor hub.brussels


Topic: Sustainability and performance: test, prioritize, transform. A 30-minute hands-on workshop to understand and embrace ESG concepts, offered by hub.brussels

Pauline Zappa is an advisor in the support department at hub.brussels, the Brussels Agency for Entrepreneurship. She helps companies with sustainable business models and also contributed to creating a sustainability self-assessment tool that allows companies to evaluate their ESG maturity and identify concrete actions.

Pierre-Emmanuel Cau

UCB


Topic: Power Shift: Energizing the Future

Pierre-Emmanuel Cau is a mechanical and electrical engineer, complemented by an MBA. In 2021, he joined UCB as the Organization Transformation Leader. His leadership quickly led him to head the newly established Physical Asset Management Department, part of the global engineering team at UCB. In his role, Pierre-Emmanuel oversees the entire lifecycle of physical assets, from acquisition to disposal. To ensure efficient and sustainable management, his organization develops UCB technical standards, introduces new technologies, monitors asset health index, financial performance, and risk levels. The organization leverages the latest digital technologies to secure operations and maintain a safe environment. Under his guidance, his team collaborates with local stakeholders to develop environmental sustainability roadmaps, which will be executed by the global engineering team in the upcoming years.

Ruben van Den Bossche

CEO/Co-founder Gorilla


Topic: Power Shift: Energizing the Future

Ruben Van den Bossche is the CEO and co-founder of Gorilla, a scale-up helping leading energy retailers like Engie, Shell Energy, and British Gas navigate the energy transition through energy margin intelligence — uniting pricing, profitability, and forecasting into one continuous flow of insight. With a PhD in Computer Science and MsC Business Economics, Ruben combines deep technical understanding with strategic clarity. His work centers on empowering energy companies to make faster, smarter decisions that drive both profitability and sustainability in a rapidly changing energy market.

Sabrina Bulteau

Co-founder of Sench


Topic: Artificial Intelligence in Support of Your Ecological Transition

After 15 years of entrepreneurship in the digital marketing world, Sabrina Bulteau founded Sench — a community for decision-makers and entrepreneurs who want to turn the transition into a driver of growth and rethink their business models.

Tomás Almeida

Public Relations Manager Schréder


Topic: Power Shift: Energizing the Future

Tomás Almeida is a seasoned professional with a proven track record in multinational and international joint-ventures, as well as infrastructure projects within the urban, transportation and mobility sectors. The ability to build trustful relationships, linking business needs with a know how of the legal framework has defined my career.

Programme

The Trends Impact Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 13, at Maison de la Poste, Tour & Taxis in Brussels.

New in 2025: an afternoon of workshops, inspiring sessions and roundtable discussions.
Meet our experts, gain practical insights, and exchange ideas on high-impact topics.

15h00
Welcome and networking
Room 1
Room 2
Room 3
Room 4
15h30
Sustainable entrepreneurship: from circular baby products to solar-roasted coffee. Session language : NL
Artificial Intelligence in Support of Your Ecological Transition Session language : FR
16h15
Attracting investors and staying true to your impact mission: walking a tightrope? Session language : NL
Best workplace, best growth: how EASI pampers its employees while maintaining impressive growth! Session language : FR
Navigating complexity: How to anticipate and shape the future Session language : EN
17h00
Making Waves: Innovations in Sustainable Production Session language : EN
Power Shift: Energizing the Future Session language : EN
Sustainability and performance: test, prioritize, transform. A 30-minute hands-on workshop to understand and embrace ESG concepts, offered by hub.brussels Session language : FR
The Circular Economy, a Challenge for SMEs: which obstacles need to be overcome and how can the opportunities be seized? Session language : NL / FR
18h00
Networking
19h00
Show and presentation of the Trends Impact Awards 2025
20h15
Walking dinner and networking

Programme

The Trends Impact Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 13, at Maison de la Poste, Tour & Taxis in Brussels.

New in 2025: an afternoon of workshops, inspiring sessions and roundtable discussions.
Meet our experts, gain practical insights, and exchange ideas on high-impact topics.

15h00
Welcome and networking
15h30
Room 1
Sustainable entrepreneurship: from circular baby products to solar-roasted coffee. Session language : NL
Room 2
Artificial Intelligence in Support of Your Ecological Transition Session language : FR
16h15
Room 1
Attracting investors and staying true to your impact mission: walking a tightrope? Session language : NL
Room 2
Best workplace, best growth: how EASI pampers its employees while maintaining impressive growth! Session language : FR
Room 3
Navigating complexity: How to anticipate and shape the future Session language : EN
17h00
Room 1
Making Waves: Innovations in Sustainable Production Session language : EN
Room 2
Power Shift: Energizing the Future Session language : EN
Room 3
Sustainability and performance: test, prioritize, transform. A 30-minute hands-on workshop to understand and embrace ESG concepts, offered by hub.brussels Session language : FR
Room 4
The Circular Economy, a Challenge for SMEs: which obstacles need to be overcome and how can the opportunities be seized? Session language : NL / FR
18h00
Networking
19h00
Show and presentation of the Trends Impact Awards 2025
20h15
Walking dinner and networking

Nomines

We are introducing two Audience Awards, one in the SME category and one in the Large Company category.
These awards are based on a rigorous preselection of all official Trends Impact Awards nominees.

Curious about the projects behind the nominations? Discover all the projects of each category below!

Winners of the Public Vote – Trends Impact Awards 2025

Together with thousands of others, you helped decide who the two winners of the public vote – Trends Impact Awards 2025 are: one SME and one large company making sustainability tangible.

Cera

Connecting People with Walnuts

In the Equality and Inclusion category, the cooperative Cera (together with the cooperative 37 Graden) is reviving the forgotten walnut tradition with the Notenkrakken project.

Galler

Ethical and Sustainable Chocolate

In the Biodiversity category, Galler is committed to sustainable cocoa production through an agroforestry project in Ivory Coast, planting 60,000 trees and supporting local communities.

What’s in it’ for the participating companies?

  • One free seat for each nominee to attend the award ceremony.
  • A presentation of your project in front of a team of experts and immediate advice on how to optimise your score.
  • The chance to win one of the Trends Impact Awards and thus gain editorial attention in Trends magazine.
  • The opportunity to present your company to the Trends Impact Awards audience via a stand in the networking area (nominees have the option of paying an additional fee to have a stand in the networking area).
  • The Trends Impact Nominee Label for all projects whose nominations are withheld for the oral defense phase. This label can be used in all corporate communication and promotion.
  • A summary of the jury feedback on your submission, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement, and an explanation of why the winner in your category was selected, providing insights into what set their project apart.

Jury 2025

Discover all the jury members and members of the expert groups for the Trends Impact Awards 2025

Agnes Uhereczky

Creating diverse, inclusive and safe workplaces
VIB

Amid Faljaoui

Editor-in-chief Trends-Tendances
Roularta Media Group

Anne-Catherine Trinon

Managing Director
Cap Conseil

Benny Debruyne

Journalist
Trends

Caroline Lallemand

Journalist
Trends-Tendances

Charlène Crespel

CEO
BeCentral - Community Builder

Chris Van Gils

Architect - Sustainability communication expert - Lector – Author
ContentMoon

Christoph Vanderstricht

Expert Circular Economy & Sustainable Value Chains | Strategy & Transformation
PwC Belgium

Christophe Charlot

Journalist
Trends-Tendances

Elke Vancraeyenest

Teamleader Psychosociale Aspecten
Mensura

Evelyn Underwood

Senior Policy Analyst & Biodiversity Lead
Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP)

Gert Linthout

Impact entrepreneur
Ray&Jules / Mic Mac Minuscule

Gilbert Bejjani

Medical Director
CHIREC Hospital Group

Gregory Renders

Global director, fair & Inclusive Culture
Syensqo

Ilse De Witte

Journaliste
Trends

Jan Beyne

Assistant Professor / Competence Center Lead - Sustainable Transformation
AMS/UAntwerp

Jochen Vincke

ESG leader
PwC Belgium

Jonas Lembrechts

Senior Researcher
UAntwerp

Kathleen Vangronsvelt

Assistant Professor Organizational Behavior & HR
AMS

Katrien Goossens

Head of Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Engie Belgium

Koen De Maesschalck

Corporate affairs and communication
Colruyt

Laura De Boom

FWO Doctoral Fellow
UAntwerpen

Lieven Annemans

Professor economics of health and wellbeing, lecturer, author, advisor
Ghent University

Liza Rosen

D&I and Wellbeing Lead
PwC Belgium

Marc Callier

Head of Sustainability Business Banking
ING Belgium

Maria Teresa Scardigli

Managing Director
Kellen Europe

Myrte De Decker

Journalist
Trends

Peter Zadora

Director ESG acceleration
Umicore

Philip Lenders

Director Management Consulting
PwC

Philippe Nimmegeers

Professor in Engineering Management and Sustainability
University of Antwerp

Sabrina Bulteau

CEO & Co-Founder
Sench

Samar Héchaimé

Director Sustainability Strategy & Transformation
PwC Belgium

Sophie Joris

Directrice
SMALA

Stephanie Hold

Senior Manager - Sustainable Business Solutions
PwC Belgium

Steven De Haes

Dean Antwerp Management School
AMS

Stijn Fockedey

Editor-in-chief Trends
Roularta Media Group

Thomas De Groote

Founder
River Cleanup

William De Ridder

Director Of Sustainability and Transformation MGT by De Ridder CommV and Independent Senior Subject Matter Expert by PwC

Wouter Van Bockhaven

Associate Professor / Competence Center Lead – Smart Ecosystems & Networks
AMS/UA

Pricing

Step 1

Qualification Fee
A complete Trends Impact Scan
SME’s, small companies and large companies:
 € 90 (excl. VAT)

Step 2

Nomination phase

  • One free seat for each nominee to attend the award ceremony.
  • A presentation of your project in front of a panel of experts with immediate advice on how to optimise your score.
  • The chance to win one of the Trends Impact Awards and thus gain editorial attention in Trends magazine.
  • The opportunity to present your company to the Trends Impact Awards audience via a stand in the networking area (nominees have the option of paying an additional fee to have a stand in the networking area).
  • The Trends Impact Nominee Label for all projects whose nominations are withheld for the oral defense phase. Tis label can be used in all corporate communication and promotion.
  • A summary of the jury feedback on your submission, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement .

SME’s and small companies : €500 (excl. VAT)
Large companies: € 2,000 (excl. VAT)

Step 3

Access to the Trends Impact Corners, the awards ceremony, and the walking dinner & networking:
Individual ticket: €375 (excl. VAT)
10 tickets: €3.000 (excl. VAT)

Relive edition 2024

Contact

Contact

MÉLANIE CRAMAZOU
Project Manager
+32(0)476 79 36 28
melanie.cramazou@roularta.be
Roularta Media Group
Raketstraat 50
1130 Brussel

Eventmanager

MIEKE KNABBEN
Event Manager
+32 (473) 52 49 71
mieke.knabben@roularta.be

Become partner

MÉLANIE CRAMAZOU
Project Manager
+32(0)476 79 36 28
melanie.cramazou@roularta.be

Invoicing

Roularta Invoicing Events
invoicing.events@roularta.be

Partners

An initiative of
Founding partner
Supported by

© Roularta Media Group - Copyright - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Cookie settings