With an innovative approach to recycling, the Ecosynergy System (ESS) rewards consumers of all food and non-food products whose packaging is marked with the Ecosynergy label, if they dispose of this packaging at an ESS collection point. Consumers receive eco-coupons which they can use to obtain home and household products, food, clothing and services at production prices.

Some details of the EcoSynergy System (ESS) test phase in Slovenia:

1. Test area: Gorenjska region, a post-industrial, partially agrarian area without a development concept and with a demographic deficit (GDP: EUR 20 790, below the Slovenian average: EUR 22 312)
2. Target group: pensioners, unemployed, socially and economically disadvantaged groups of the population as well as private companies, service providers and others
3. Advertising: the ESS project was not advertised in order to test the response of the population by word of mouth
4. Test period and participants: up to 1853 people submitted clean material; 1000 people were involved in the test for one year (January 2018-July 2019, with evaluation and analysis of the pilot project running until January 2020), in a relatively stable period before the pandemic
5. Test location: the collection centre of the State utility company Jeko d.o.o. (Cesta Franceta Prešerna 13, 4270 Jesenice), open 8 hours a day
6. Other participants: 60 food and non-food producers: tests covered their participation/involvement in the circular economy, their requirements, needs and expectations in line with EU agendas, the UN Agenda 2020-2030 and the forthcoming Extended Producer Responsibility Certificate.