Women Innovators in Slovenia - Rural Fact Sheet #070

Marinka Vok founded Slovenia's first reuse centre and social enterprise in 2009 in Rogaška Slatina, pioneering a network of four centres focused on social inclusion, waste reduction, and sustainable entrepreneurship. The centres, located in rural municipalities and Ljubljana, support 32 employees—mostly women facing labour market disadvantages—through training and employment in areas like electronics repair and furniture restoration. Half of the income comes from product sales, the other half from projects, including silkworm breeding for medical applications. The initiative has helped shift public attitudes toward waste, using modular shipping containers as co-working spaces to demonstrate reuse principles. Marinka actively shapes waste management policy and promotes social entrepreneurship, emphasizing dignity and innovation. Funded by the European Union.