На Награди за циркуларна економија, one of the flagship initiatives of the Western Balkans Circular Economy Hub (WBCEH), returned in 2026 for their second edition, continuing to recognise the businesses, organisations, institutions and individuals whose work is helping accelerate the circular transition across the Western Balkans.
Launched in 2025 as the first regional awards initiative dedicated to circular economy leadership across multiple categories, the Awards highlight the many different ways circularity is being translated into practice – through business transformation, innovative design, entrepreneurship, research and education, municipal action, civil society engagement and individual leadership.
Interest in the initiative continued to grow in its second year. The 2026 call attracted 63 applications across seven categories, compared with 55 applications in 2025, with many organisations and individuals applying for the first time. This growing participation reflects an increasingly active and diverse circular economy community across the Western Balkans, as well as the expanding number of actors developing practical solutions, new business models and initiatives around circularity.
A regional evaluation process
This year’s applications were assessed by an international jury of 12 members, bringing together expertise from across the region and beyond. The jury included representatives from Western Balkan Chambers of Commerce, GIZ, HELVETAS, universities, civil society organisations, private companies and other organisations active in the circular economy and green transition.
Applications were evaluated against a common set of criteria covering the depth of circularity, demonstrated results and impact, innovation, quality of evidence, continuity and wider potential, together with a category-specific criterion reflecting the particular purpose of each award.
Following the evaluation and final review process, seven category winners were selected, together with five additional applicants recognised as Catalysts for Circular Change.
The official Circular Economy Awards 2026 Ceremony took place on 13 October 2026 in Prishtina, as part of the Western Balkans Circular Economy EXPO 2026, organised by Rilindja e Gjelbër at Flori Gallery, Prishtina Mall. The ceremony brought together award recipients, circular economy practitioners, businesses, institutions, civil society organisations and other regional stakeholders.
Winners of the Circular Economy Awards 2026
This year’s winners represent very different pathways towards circularity – from new materials and circular business models to product design, research and education, municipal action, community-led reuse and individual leadership.
- Circular Start-Up – Sferikon, Serbia
Awarded for developing bio-based materials from agricultural and forestry residues, creating alternatives to fossil-based plastics while building new value chains between agriculture and industry. Its flagship SferiCorn material demonstrates the potential for circular material innovation with industrial application. - Corporate Leadership in Circular Economy – AZ Group shpk, Albania
Recognised for embedding circularity into its core business through an integrated circular bio-economy model that transforms animal by-products and biological side streams into higher-value products across several sectors. Over the last three years, the company reports valorising approximately 24,000 tonnes of animal by-products. - Circular Economy Education & Research – Vesna Alivojvodic, Serbia
Awarded for combining circular economy education with original research on measuring circularity, including the development of the CEI_R index covering the full R0–R9 spectrum, and for connecting scientific research with accredited education and practical application. - Municipal Circular Leadership – Municipality of Prilep, North Macedonia
Recognised for developing a more integrated municipal circular economy system through waste separation at source, specialised collection streams, citizen participation and investment in sorting infrastructure, helping redirect valuable materials away from landfill and back into productive use. - Innovative Circular Design – Intelligent Indoor Farm, North Macedonia
Awarded for the design of InnoFarm®, a modular and repairable aeroponic farming system whose individual components can be maintained, replaced and upgraded, combining resource-efficient food production with a product design focused on longevity and reuse. - Civil Society Circular Impact – Doniraj Kompjuter, North Macedonia
Recognised for building a community-driven model for electronics reuse, collecting, refurbishing and redistributing more than 4,500 computers and laptops, supporting socially vulnerable families, equipping over 120 computer science classrooms and engaging more than 150 companies in a culture of donation, repair and reuse. - Circular Economy Pioneer – Edina Hadžić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Awarded for building a regional model for circular fashion that combines zero-waste design, material reuse, traditional craftsmanship and collaboration with more than 50 designers and brands, while transferring circular production knowledge to businesses across the region.
In the coming period, WBCEH will share more about each of the winners, their work and the impact behind their recognition.
AZ Group, 2026 Winner in the Corporate Leadership in Circular Economy Category
Catalysts for Circular Change
In addition to the seven category winners, five applications received the Catalyst for Circular Change special recognition.
- Irina Tosheva, North Macedonia
- Renata Petrevska Nechkoska, North Macedonia
- Natasa Daniloska, North Macedonia,
- TOMRA Collection Beograd, Serbia
- Suprabit, Serbia
These applicants were among the strongest submissions in their respective categories and stood out during the final evaluation for the quality of their work, their contribution to circularity and their potential for further impact.
The Catalyst for Circular Change recognition is intended to highlight valuable initiatives that deserve additional regional visibility beyond the seven main category awards.
Building a stronger regional circular economy community
The Awards are designed not only to recognise achievements, but also to help connect circular economy actors across the Western Balkans, increase the visibility of promising solutions and create opportunities for future cooperation.
Many of this year’s winners and recognised applicants are also being invited to present their work to the wider WBCEH community through the Hub’s monthly members meetings, creating further opportunities for exchange, networking and collaboration.
На Western Balkans Circular Economy Hub congratulates all 2026 winners and Catalysts for Circular Change and thanks every applicant, jury member and partner who contributed to the second edition of the Awards.
Special thanks also go to Rilindja e Gjelbër for hosting the Awards within the Western Balkans Circular Economy EXPO 2026, and to Civil Engineering Institute Macedonia – CEIM for supporting this year’s Awards Ceremony and demonstrating how companies can contribute to strengthening circular initiatives and regional cooperation alongside their own work in circular economy and sustainable construction.
The increase of interest in applications sends an encouraging signal: the regional circular economy community is expanding, and more organisations, businesses, researchers, municipalities and individuals are turning circular principles into practical action.
