In a nutshell

LIFE Turn to e-circular moved Slovenia beyond “recycle only” by helping households and stakeholders repair, share, and reuse working appliances. The project built a national network for collection, testing and re-use, created practical tools and guides, and connected municipalities, NGOs, repairers, schools and businesses to make circular habits easy.

Why it matters

EEE contains valuable materials. When working devices are discarded, we lose resources, create extra traffic and unnecessary CO₂. With 42% of Slovenians not attempting repairs before buying new, the project targeted behaviour change and service access to extend product life.

“One of the biggest obstacles was changing mindsets, both among consumers and stakeholders. The circular economy requires a different perspective on products, waste, and the value of repairs, which is not always self-evident.” – Branka Biček Bizant and Urška Dolinšek 

What’s different

• 100 “Sure you can!” repair videos (also on iFixit) that show step-by-step fixes and maintenance.
• Library of Things playbook, a ready-to-use handbook so communities can start lending hubs.
• E-transformer 2.0, a mobile outreach van bringing demos, advice and collection to citizens.
• From e-waste to e-value: campaigns, events (“Popravc”), sharing and take-back points that keep devices in circulation.

Impact at a glance

• Materials preserved: 75 t iron, 7 t copper, 8 t aluminium kept in the loop.
• Climate benefit: 1,795 t CO₂ avoided by life-extension and secondary raw materials.
• People & places: New collection/reuse locations, a strong stakeholder network, and circular practices expanding to textiles & furniture.
• Knowledge that sticks: Videos, guides, online platform & forum, and on-site info boards at collection centres.

How it worked

• Awareness → action: simple how-tos, community events, and visible reuse corners.
• Partnership engine: municipalities, NGOs (e.g., Libraries of Things), repairers, reuse centres, schools, public waste operators and companies, all co-creating local solutions.
• Market signals: support for circular business models (repair, refurbishment, lending, service-based offers).

Lessons to copy

• Start with people: involve local partners early and formally; co-design builds trust and uptake.
• Make repair feel safe & simple: clear guidance, warranties where possible, and easy drop-off points.
• Tell the story with numbers, track materials saved and CO₂ avoided to keep momentum.

After-LIFE staying power

• Reuse corners, Libraries of Things, and Popravc repair events continue with new funding.
• E-transformer 2.0 and the full digital toolkit (website, social channels, forum) remain active.
• Ongoing advocacy to embed repair & reuse in policy and support local circular initiatives.

Ready to replicate

• Subtitled video series for easy translation.
• “Set up a Library!” handbook to launch lending hubs anywhere.
• Event and school-programme templates any community can adopt.

LIFE success

When repair becomes normal and sharing is easy, appliances live longer, emissions fall, and communities win.