The LIFE Awards celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. They took place on 3 June in Brussels during EU Green Week, celebrating Europe’s most impactful environmental projects across three categories.

In the Circular Economy & Quality of Life category, the winner was LIFE Turn to e-circular (Slovenia). 

Waste electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest-growing waste stream in the EU, posing environmental and health risks if not properly managed. In Slovenia, reuse rates remain very low due to limited awareness, weak incentives and insufficient infrastructure.

The winning project promotes stakeholder engagement, awareness-raising and new infrastructure and offers a replicable model for circular e-waste management across Europe.

One of the runners up, the LIFE Fitting project, is also built around circular principles. 

It has designed a set of digital tools that monitor, predict and optimise wastewater treatment plant performance, while prioritising resource-efficient strategies. The approach improves water quality, reduces discharge fees, cuts CO₂-equivalent emissions annually, and guides safe investment decisions. It can also be implemented elsewhere.

You can see the list of finalists here.