Designing Circular Futures: Inside Our Collaboration with Eco-Schools Slovenia and AquafilSLO

Why Circular Economy Belongs in the Classroom

The shift to a circular economy begins not only with policy and production, but also with education. For several years now, Healthy Seas has proudly partnered with Eco-Schools Slovenia and AquafilSLO to introduce students to the principles of circular design and sustainable innovation. Now, for the first time, we’re sharing a glimpse into this journey through a short video filmed at the Secondary School of Commerce and Visual Merchandising and the Faculty of Design in Ljubljana.

“The program Eco-Schools in Slovenia has been introduced almost 30 years ago and it covers, we estimate one third of educational institutions in Slovenia”. — Lucija Marovt of Eco-Schools Slovenia

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all curriculum. As Lucija Marovt of Eco-Schools Slovenia explains, schools are encouraged to adapt the framework to their context—whether they’re designing recycled fashion or rethinking the life cycle of everyday products. With the support of Healthy Seas and AquafilSLO, the circular economy theme has taken root across a wide network of Slovenian educational institutions, turning abstract concepts into tangible, creative challenges.

From Nylon Waste to Student Innovation

“We know how circular production works, but we are not educators. That’s where Healthy Seas brings unique value.”
—Tina Mavrič, AquafilSLO

AquafilSLO, part of the Aquafil Group—home of the ECONYL® regeneration process—joined forces with Eco-Schools Slovenia to bring real-life circular economy expertise into the classroom. Their goal? To inspire students to see waste as a resource, and design as a tool for change.

Healthy Seas brings the environmental reality behind the theory: ghost nets, plastic pollution, and the urgency of protecting marine life. Together, we help students connect the dots between environmental problems and circular solutions. As Tina from AquafilSLO says, young people are often the most open to change—what they need is the opportunity to lead it.

Recycled Creativity Meets Real-World Impact

In the video, you’ll see students modelling designs made from old jeans, wallpaper, yarn, and discarded textiles. You’ll hear from mentors who witnessed their students thrive with hands-on learning. And you’ll meet young designers who now look at waste and side products not as trash, but as creative opportunity—and who understand that sustainability isn’t about perfection, but persistence.

At the Faculty of Design, circularity is integrated into the curriculum, with the support of professors like sustainable fashion expert Matea Benedetti. As she puts it, design is essential to making sustainability desirable—and that process starts with how future designers are taught to think, experiment, and care.

A Living Partnership—And Room to Grow

“The most valuable part is that students see circularity working in practice. That it’s not just theory—it’s happening.”
—Lucija Marovt

This partnership is not a finished product. It’s a growing ecosystem of schools, companies, and young minds who believe in circularity—not just as a sustainability strategy, but as a creative challenge worth embracing. From recycled materials to new design philosophies, the video showcases only a fraction of what happens every year in classrooms across Slovenia.

For businesses looking to make their sustainability commitments tangible, this is a powerful model. Whether by supporting education, co-developing activities, or offering real-world case studies, your involvement can help shape the next generation of designers, scientists, engineers—and changemakers.

“When we challenge the students to design a circular product or a circular business they freeze. They don’t know what to do, how to start, but then slowly you can see they start to think out of the box. They connect the dots, they connect what they have learned during the presentations and in the end, they inspire us with their ideas, with their creative take and this is worth seeing and gives us hope for the future”. —Konstantina Koustoula, Healthy Seas Foundation.

Thank You

We extend our warm thanks to Eco-Schools Slovenia, AquafilSLO, the Secondary School of Commerce and Visual Merchandising, and the Faculty of Design in Ljubljana for welcoming us and sharing their inspiring work.