Alice Schmidt is a global sustainability advisor who has spent 25+ years engaging at the intersection of social, environmental and economic affairs. She has worked in 30 countries on 4 continents with over 70 public and privateorganisations on sustainable development and designing for impact.
Besides consulting for a wide range of businesses andNGOs, she lectures at several universities and has co-authored two leading books on sustainability: “The SustainabilityPuzzle” and “Fast Forward”.

Founder and director of Zavod KNOF, the 2nd registered social enterprise in Slovenia, mentor of the first Social Incubator, which launched more than 40 business ideas, founder of the reuse project »Stara šola« boutique, which today operates on six locations, founder of the KNOF Circular Laboratory in Krško, which operates on 3000m2 in Krško. A visionary in the field of the circular economy and a pioneer in social entrepreneurship with more than 16 years of experience working in the field of sustainability and inclusiveness. She has lead many international projects and fundraising campaigns, manages the business community KNOF with 24 employees, 37% of them are people with disabilities.

Pia Groleger is a graduate industrial designer who works in the field of sustainability, material experimentation and research. She is a co-founder of the Pjorkkala collective with Žan Girandon in Luka Pleskovič. She sees the power of design in connecting with different fields and solving social problems. Currently, she is working on material resarch about textile waste and continuing with the 3D clay printing experiments. She is also part time project coordinator at Center for Creativity.

M.Sc. Anja Zorko is the Head of the Centre for Creativity in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is an expert and advisor on the development of cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI). Her areas of expertise include CCSI and innovation, ecosystem development, cross-sectoral cooperation, policy recommendations, and the development of support programs and measures for CCSI in Slovenia.

MSc Maja Čibej, General Manager of textile company Beti, has 14+ years of experience in the textile and fashion industry. Beti’s yarns have made it to the Football World Championships in Brazil and Quatar as well as to catwalks of Paris and Milano. With a belief that consistent small steps lead to substantial change, Maja and her team integrate cutting-edge technologies like plasma and digital processes to green the textile production landscape. As a hands-on leader, she offers real-life insight into ups and downs of sustainable transformation.

Jeroen van Oostveen is the driving force behind MaterialDistrict, a global platform dedicated to advancing sustainable architecture and design through biobased and circular materials. With a passion for sustainable innovation, Jeroen has dedicated his career to inspire professionals and enthusiasts alike to embrace eco-friendly solutions.

Jeroen’s journey into the realm of sustainable materials began with a deep-seated belief in the power of design to shape a better world. With a background in architecture and a keen understanding of the industry’s potential for sustainability, he recognized the need for a platform that would facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas among professionals committed to eco-conscious design.

As the owner of MaterialDistrict, Jeroen has built a dynamic hub that connects architects, designers, and material manufacturers. MaterialDistrict has emerged as a pioneering resource, connecting architects and designers with a curated selection of biobased and circular materials that not only inspire creativity but also contribute to a more sustainable built environment.

Majda Potokar, MSc is a project manager at Technology Park Ljubljana (TPLJ) working in the field of circular economy (CE) and digitalisation as well as creative industries. She was engaged as a project manager within the Circular4.0 project, which supported SMEs in the Alpine Space to transit to the circular economy through digitalisation. TPLJ was the lead partner of the Circular4.0 project – nominated as a REGIOSTARS finalist in 2023. Majda Potokar has now been engaged in the coordination of the cross – cutting priority 4# on CE within the EUSALP microregion as well as on the implementation of the SHARED GREEN DEAL experiment that is focusing on the building of the Local Acceleration Hub (LAH) on CE in textiles and fashion within the City of Ljubljana.

Dr. Gregor Lavrič builds his professional career mainly in the field of development of sustainable (packaging) materials and solutions. He received his education at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, where he also obtained his PhD in 2023. He currently heads the Department of Graphics and Packaging at the Institute of Pulp and Paper. He is also a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering (leads exercises in the courses : Packaging 1 and 2).

Darja Malešič, an independent designer of fashion and homeware products, is working with Slovenian craftspeople to create handmade wickerwork for the modern world. The craft collection interweaves principles of circular design and cultural heritage. Products have received several design awards, and been exhibited internationally. Darja studied at the Royal College of Art in London, and lived ten years in Italy, designing for luxury fashion brands, such as Dolce & Gabbana and John Richmond.

Polona is an agricultural engineer that started her career in design and marketing and later focused on eco-design, product development, ethical marketing and sustainability. She is a mission-driven hybrid professional with 14+ years of experience in sustainable development and circular economy, strategy development, social and classical entrepreneurship, ecodesign, product development, marketing and sales, coaching, mentorship and agriculture. Her passion lies in forging collaborations and partnerships beyond traditional silos, fostering unexpected connections and bridging diverse stakeholders.