Rikarnto joined EuRIC in October 2020. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Patra and a master’s degree in Waste and Resource Management from the University of the West of Scotland. He speaks fluent Greek, Italian, and English. After completing his studies, he acted as a consultant in the energy sector for a British consultancy, and then he joined amfori (the leading global business association for open and sustainable trade), as an environmental expert. At EuRIC, Rikarnto managed technical issues that emerged from the interface between waste, chemicals, and product legislations, as well as relevant BREFs.

Rikarnto was very active in the revision of the Directive on batteries and waste batteries proposed by the EU COM in 2020. Besides following all the legislative developments related to batteries, he was also part of the batteries roundtable – an initiative initiated by several organizations, including EuRIC – aimed at addressing the problem of battery fires in the WEEE value chain. The work done in the above-mentioned roundtable throughout 2021 was presented by Rikarnto at the 2021 International Congress for Battery Recycling (ICBR).

As of September 1, Rikarnto joined the International Copper Association Europe as a Senior Policy Manager, where he will be focusing on circular economy topics, among other key policy areas.