Cecilie Sundling (MSc) is a political scientist with a strong international orientation and a long-standing commitment to sustainability, energy policy, and resource management. Her focus on energy and environment began during her tenure at the Royal Danish Embassy in Tokyo in 2011–12, where she witnessed the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster and the abrupt closure of 54 nuclear power plants. This experience shaped her professional direction, triggering a profound interest in energy security, international energy relations and the urgent need for resilient, sustainable solutions.

Since then, she has worked across sectors to support the green transition, advocating for more ambitious, forward-looking policy frameworks that can better future-proof societies and sustainability practices.

Waste has been a recurring focus throughout her work; not only due to its environmental impact, but also because of its largely unrealised potential. From material recovery and resource efficiency to waste-to-energy solutions, she views waste as both a systemic challenge and a strategic opportunity.

Holding a supplementary degree in journalism and further training in sustainable supply chains, environmental management, the precautionary principle, and ESG reporting, Cecilie brings a multidisciplinary and pragmatic perspective to complex sustainability issues. She is especially interested in how environmental challenges intersect with economic incentives and global power dynamics.

As Director of the IWOC Programme at the Global Waste Cleaning Network, she leads the development of a groundbreaking new metric that redefines how we value waste; capturing both lost material value and the environmental burden. Her work connects insight with impact, helping decision-makers rethink waste not as a liability, but as a lever for transformative change.