Current project

Life Turn to e-circular

Project title: Life Turn to e-circular (LIFE18 GIE/SI/000008)

Slogan: I'm still useful

Project duration: 1.1.2020 - 31.12.2024

Brief description: Raising awareness of target groups and stakeholders about individual elements of the circular economy. Changing their habits when dealing with devices that are still working, namely with the help of awareness-raising activities, the construction of appropriate infrastructure and legislative proposals.

Project value: €2,163,558

Project holder: ZEOS, d.o.o.

Project partners: Chamber of Municipalities / TSD, d.o.o.

Project co-financiers: European Commission, Ministry of Environment and Space of the Republic of Slovenia

Project stakeholders: public waste management service providers, producers and distributors of EEE, municipalities, schools, repairers, reuse centers, incubators and accelerators, international association of WEEE management schemes and other schemes from abroad

Purpose and objectives:

Encouraging, informing and raising awareness of the local target groups and stakeholders about the concept of a circular economy and the advantages or the necessity of transitioning from a linear to a circular mode of operation.
Changing the lifestyles of consumers and stakeholders in dealing with still working appliances with innovative tools and increasing the availability of information and locations to broadcast it.
In cooperation with public utility companies, establish a network of uniform collection points, intended for taking over appliances that are still working, communicating the advantages of the circular economy, redirecting the share of e-waste into reuse or preparation for reuse.
Preparation of professional, comprehensive and coordinated instructions, guidelines and algorithms among key stakeholders for guiding devices in the process of re-use, preparation for re-use and restoration of components for spare parts.
To establish the first Slovenian circular economy online platform, designed as a meeting point for communication of all interested parties with information sources for repairers, consumers, reuse organizations, media, with lists of stakeholders, experiences of good practices, instructions for diagnosis and repair. The online platform will serve as a tool to monitor changes in consumer habits.
Promote and implement a program of development and promotion of circular business models in cooperation with organizations that promote innovative business ideas.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

PREPARATORY RESEARCH

The preparatory research is the basis for the planning and execution of all other project actions and is intended to obtain relevant data on the happenings and activities of the target groups and stakeholders of the project.
As part of the project, we carried out:
- research on consumer behavior in relation to the circular economy,
- research into the state of the circular economy in the field of electrical and electronic equipment in Slovenia and the EU.

PROMOTING REPAIRS

Appliance repairing is encouraged through various activities:
- with the traveling repair shop E-transformer 2.0,
- at independent stands of various events,
- directly at repairers with various campaigns,
- with the help of our renewed online platform and social networks.

More about repairs

ENCOURAGE SHARING

We encourage the sharing of devices with the help of various activities:
- carrying out exchanges of appliances that are still working (as part of exchanges of other things or separately only appliances, some exchanges are based on the "pop-up" principle, while some have become permanent), exchanges are carried out in a traveling classroom or at independent stands or with the help of selected organizations,
- offering assistance in establishing a sharing community for closed groups,
- with the help of our renewed online platform and social networks.

ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE COLLECTION OF STILL WORKING APPLIANCES

We encourage the collection of still working appliances with the help of various activities:
- the establishment of corners for reuse: in more than 60 locations across Slovenia, we set up reused corners, most of them as a separate space with uniform markings and instructions or as a small mobile container,
- by carrying out mobile campaigns to collect still working devices across the country and together with organizations,
- with the help of our renewed online platform and social networks.

Video about corners

More about reuse

EEE PREPARATION PROCESS FOR RE-USE

Together with project partners, we are preparing instructions for preparing e-equipment for reuse in order to ensure uniform handling of equipment in this process. The instructions are adapted for different stages and different actors in the procedure and will be proposed to the legislator for harmonization or change in legislation. This will enable a permanent e-waste reuse system for the efficient implementation of the circular economy concept.

We collect the devices in the reused corners, where we remove the still working appliances based on the prepared instructions. Part of the equipment is launched directly to local centers for reuse, and the part that is unsuitable for immediate reuse is taken to the project partner's preparation center for reuse. The devices are thus returned to consumers through various sales channels.

PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS MODELS

We encourage the development of business models with the help of various activities:
- preparing a program for education and finding business models,
- organization of events in the field of finding business models (we carry out in cooperation with accelerators of start-up companies and other organizations),
- selection of business ideas and support up to plan level,
- transfer of good practices from abroad,
- with the help of our renewed online platform and social networks.

More about bussines models

REPEATABILITY AND TRANSFERABILITY OF ACTIVITIES

To disseminate project results, we will:
- produce a circular economy concept handbook, with which we will inform other e-waste collection schemes about the circular way of handling e-equipment and encouraging the transfer of good practices,
- established pilot corners for reuse abroad,
- transferred project solutions to other waste streams (e.g. textiles, furniture).

COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES

In order to reach the target groups as much as possible, we carry out various communication and marketing activities, with which we disseminate information about the project and its results:
- we have set up the landing project page,
- we regularly use social networks,
- we put up information boards,
- we regularly prepare and send press releases,
- we also inform the media and the general public with the help of radio, print and other advertisements and other tools (eg. leaflets, posters, other promotional material).

NETWORKING AND DISSEMINATION EVENTS

The main purpose of networking is to enable and strengthen cooperation in collective measures in the field of the environment:
- we connect with other Life projects and projects with a similar theme,
- we are preparing a larger professional conference,
- we organize workshops to raise awareness among young people,
- we prepare open days at collection centers and similar events.