Women and Circular Economy

We empower women to drive the circular economy. Although the circular economy is based on common sense, wisdom, care, and inventiveness – things that millions of women demonstrate daily – women are overrepresented in the industries that go against the circular economy. For example, women make up most of the workforce working in the informal waste management sector.

The circular economy provides us with amazing opportunities to introduce new ethical norms in business and fine-tune the balance between profit and social responsibility. It represents the idea that we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. Products designed with the circular economy in mind can be easily repaired, remanufactured, or recycled. In our work, we are focusing on regeneration as the natural evolution beyond sustainability. The women leaders in various industries we work with are already proving they are ready to go the extra mile to achieve more sustainable business practices coupled with a positive social impact. With small investments in awareness-raising and skills related to responsible patterns of production and consumption, women can be, as many of them already are, the engines and souls of the circular economy and circular culture.