Partner Spotlight: From Classroom to Circularity: AquafilSLO and the Power of Education

Our Partner Spotlight series highlights not just the projects, but the people behind the progress. In this edition, we turn to Tina Mavrič, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist at AquafilSLO, the Slovenian branch of the Aquafil Group—a global pioneer in circularity and the creator of ECONYL® regenerated nylon.

Building on Aquafil’s legacy of textile innovation, AquafilSLO has brought that same spirit of sustainability into classrooms—through hands-on educational programs in collaboration with Healthy Seas. Through a partnership with Eco-Schools Slovenia and with the support of Healthy Seas’ education team, AquafilSLO has brought the story of circularity to various schools across Slovenia, offering students hands-on learning, fresh perspectives, and a new way to look at waste.

This interview with Tina Mavrič shines a light on how companies can use their partnership with Healthy Seas not only to fund cleanups or ocean conservation, but also as a bridge to reach young minds, inspire systemic thinking, and co-create the future with schools and educators. It’s about transparency, impact, and mutual learning—and about showing students that sustainability isn’t just a slogan, but something real people and organizations are working on every day.

Q&A with Tina Mavrič, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist – AquafilSLO

Tell us briefly about your organisation

I work for AQUAFILSLO, the Slovenian part of the Aquafil Group, an important producer of nylon 6 yarn for apparel and carpets and a pioneer of circular production models in the industry. The crucial industrial processes where waste, such as fishing nets, carpets, and plastic waste, is turned into new regenerated nylon are based in our factory in Slovenia.

We identified a need to engage with local communities because they had no idea what was going on behind the grey walls of our factory. We decided to start with young people through educational initiatives on circularity. Through the partnership with the Eco Schools Slovenia Program, we have reached out to more than 60 schools in Slovenia, offering them resources and motivation to delve into the concepts of circularity, recycling, eco-design, and resource efficiency. This has been possible also because of Healthy Seas involvement in the project. The Healthy Seas education team, has been our educational partner who has contributed its valuable educational experience.

What does the ocean mean to you personally?

The ocean for me has a symbolic meaning. Besides being the cradle of life on Earth, its vastness and power instil the feeling of infinity and the awareness of the smallness of man.

Earth or Mars?

Earth! I don’t like sci-fi.

Which is your favourite place on Earth? And why?

My home country, Slovenia. Because it is where I belong.

What is one small habit everyone can adopt to help reduce ocean pollution?

In countries like Slovenia, where tap water is perfect, avoid drinking it from PET bottles!

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about marine pollution?

I was surprised that the level of awareness is so different between cultures and, also, industries. Besides so much pollution getting to our oceans unintentionally, there are still cultures and industries who intentionally discard waste into the rivers and oceans. Unimaginable for me.

What’s the most memorable thing you have experienced with/thanks to Healthy Seas?

Educational workshops on circularity conducted by Healthy Seas’ education manager Konstantina Kostoula. She managed to bring a fresh take on the teaching process to the classrooms. The result: the students transformed from “I could not care less” to the ambassadors of circular products.

If you could send one message to the world about ocean conservation, what would it be?

“If you cannot see it, that does not mean it does not affect you.”

Can you share a moment when you felt truly hopeful about the future of our oceans?

It was after I’ve seen the documentary “The journey to Ithaka” about the cleanup of a bay on the island by Healthy Seas and its partners. I found it very inspiring because it proved that a degraded coastal/marine area can be restored and that this can make a huge difference for the local communities.

How do you see your industry evolving to support ocean sustainability in the next decade?

Aquafil’s mission to bring the textile industry toward a circular future also includes innovations to minimize microplastic pollution. According to a research from 2017 up to 35 % of microplastics in the ocean originates from the textiles, and that is a serious problem.

When we at Aquafil set out to tackle the microplastic challenge, we committed to a scientific approach. The first barrier? No standardized method existed for measuring the problem. After all, you can’t solve what you can’t define. That’s why we launched a five-year collaborative effort that resulted in a reliable, new ISO methodology. This breakthrough will in the future allow Aquafil and the entire industry to accurately identify which textile products are the biggest culprits, guiding us to innovate new production processes and fibers that are specifically designed to minimize microplastic pollution.

What’s one thing you’d love to do with Healthy Seas in the future?

More educational workshops for teenagers in Slovenian schools!

What is your favourite marine animal and why?

The conches (marine snails). (They’re not shells!) They have the most beautiful “home,” and when empty, a hermit crab finds shelter in them. It is one of the animals I can still admire when snorkelling in the Adriatic.

AquafilSLO x Healthy Seas: Circularity Starts in the Classroom

From factory floors to school hallways, AquafilSLO is showing that sustainability starts with understanding. With the support of Healthy Seas, their work in Slovenian schools has brought the circular economy to life for the next generation—turning students into informed citizens, future professionals, and even ocean ambassadors.

For companies looking to make their sustainability mission more meaningful, AquafilSLO’s story proves that partnerships with Healthy Seas can go far beyond cleanups: they can open doors to schools, co-create learning experiences, and inspire change where it matters most—in the minds of tomorrow’s decision-makers.

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