IDEA

As global environmental challenges intensify, Bosnia, Poland, and North Macedonia are uniting to champion sustainability through the principles of the circular economy, plastic craftwork, and co-design. This collaborative project aims to foster eco-friendly innovation and community empowerment by drawing inspiration from successful initiatives in other countries, such as Tunisia’s vibrant second-hand clothing industry. Building on each country’s unique strengths and perspectives, this partnership aims to create a model of sustainable development that can be replicated elsewhere.

In 2020, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) formalized its commitment to the circular economy by adopting the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, a roadmap aligned with the European Green Deal to achieve climate neutrality and environmental sustainability. According to the European Parliament, circular economy refers to the practice of “sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.”

Upcycling is the transformative process of turning waste materials, unwanted products, or by-products into new, higher-value items. Unlike traditional recycling, which often involves breaking down materials into their basic components for the creation of new products, the term “upcycling” was coined in 1994 by German engineer Reiner Pliz who explains in the British monthly magazine “Salvo,” “I call recycling down-cycling. What we need is up-cycling, thanks to which old products are given a higher, not a lower, value.”

In an effort to mitigate the adverse effects of the global overproduction and overconsumption of manufactured products, more and more local initiatives of sustainability and circular economy are emerging. Such endeavors are also meant to foster a better social inclusion of individuals engaging in these enterprises. In the broad context of the present-day environmental crisis, art can be used as a means to draw attention towards the risks of depleting our resources of raw materials in an unsustainable way.

Plastic craftwork is more than a creative activity; it is a powerful tool for promoting sustainability and enhancing employability among adults. By turning plastic waste into useful and beautiful items, individuals can develop valuable skills, raise environmental awareness, and foster social inclusion.

Zovem se Tamara Djurić i osnivačica sam inovativnog modnog startupa Magbago. Diplomirana sam ekonomistica, ali iz ljubavi prema dizajnu bavim se modom. Živim u Bijeljini, a rođena sam u Tuzli u aprilu 1986. godine. Magbago je nastao iz ljubavi prema modi, ali i iz moje zdravstvene potrebe. Kao osoba koja pati od atopijskog dermatitisa i čestih epizoda ekcema, trebala sam pronaći način da ublažim svoje simptome jer su mi uobičajene tkanine pogoršavale stanje.

My name is Hilmo Kapić. After spending almost 30 years in America, I returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) last summer. I believe I was raised to respect nature and value our natural resources, which has fueled my interest in better resource management. In America, where I spent most of my life, there is good infrastructure for household waste management and the like, and I developed good habits there (from waste separation onward).