Description of organisation

KNOF is a pioneer in social entrepreneurship and circular economy in Slovenia with a mission to popularize sustainable lifestyle. With this purpose we are developing sustainable services and products that are replacing plastic or minimizing the waste. In this process we include also people with disabilities, volunteers and unemployed. Our slogan is business, shopping and society with a clear conscience. Our biggest project is Stara šola, reuse boutique, currently we have 5 boutiques across Slovenia. The boutiques promote sustainable fashion, they help to reduce textile waste and they create new green jobs. We work closely with municipalities, waste companies and other enterprises to find (social) innovations that would decrease generation of waste, CO2 emissions and exploitation of natural resources.

Currently we are running projects like:
- SALON of furniture with character – is a gallery of reused furniture, designer and vintage pieces which are restaurated, repaired, refreshed or upcycled in our furniture workshop. We also do upholstery.
- ZERO – development of every day products that replace plastic
- COLLECTION – collection of sustainable and second-hand items that oppose the trend of instant throw-away consumer culture
- PLASTIK FANTASTIK - Experimental technology for plastic recycling and new recycled products

We have an interesting infrastructure spreading over 3.000 m2 in one of the oldest shopping malls in Slovenia, directed mostly in reuse of different waste materials (textile, plastic, wood). We call it Circular LAB, the first laboratory for circular economy. Currently we have this infrastructure running:
- Wood working workshop specialized in renovation of old furniture
- FabLab engineering workshop with CNC machine, laser machine, 3D printer, machines for shredding, extruding, pressing and shaping waste (plastic) into new products
- Sewing workshop for upholstery of furniture, production of textile products (zero-waste)
- Foto studio with basic equipment
- Office space
- Reuse boutique
- Storage space

As a response to support the start-up of new sustainable businesses KNOF also runs a startup support programs: business mentorship, smaller coworking space, a FabLab workshop and a business incubator. KNOF plays an important role in informing about socially responsible entrepreneurship and circular economy.

KNOF social enterprise was funded by members from a youth organisation Društvo KNOF with a mission to create new sustainable jobs. In the year 2012 we got registrated as a social company, one the first three in Slovenia, because we pursue principles of sustainable development, social responsibility and active citizenship.

Motivation for hosting volunteers from abroad came from the opennes to differences and belief that different cultural backgrounds bring positive changes, innovation and enhances creativity. Creativity is one of our great values as KNOF really means creativity enhances our fantasy, fantasy of a better world. We have many positive experiences from the past, because we already hosted EVS volunteers through organization Drustvo KNOF, where we got our first accreditation in 2011.

At the moment we have 9 employees, among them also people with disabilities, 7 people on work practice and 2 local volunteers. Most of us speak English. The staff is familiar with volunteering programs, because they worked with them in past projects and also socialized with them outside work (visiting concerts and other events).