The crucial role of women in the Circular Economy transition

Rethinking systems means rethinking who leads them

The transition to a circular economy is not just about how we produce and consume, it’s about who gets to shape the systems of tomorrow. As governments and businesses look to redesign value chains and reduce resource waste, one question remains overlooked: Who’s at the table doing the redesigning? In too many cases, the answer still excludes half the population.

The role of inclusion in driving innovation

Women have long played central roles in community resilience, local sustainability efforts, and informal recycling networks. Extensive research has shown that women are more sustainable consumers, aware of environmental issues, and inclined to adopt greener sustainable practices. Yet,  they remain underrepresented in the formal spaces where green policies are crafted and circular innovations are funded, which contributes to stereotypes reinforcing the evident gender gap in environmental leadership roles coming from historical and cultural gender inequalities.

The socioeconomic contexts in both developed and developing countries are often represented by male-dominated power structures and conflicts between newer and more traditional practices. Women are usually disadvantaged and underrepresented in entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, politics, and environmental domains. Indeed, in many societies, women engage more in underpaid local or community-driven activities compared to men, who usually occupy high-value-added and well-paid positions. Thus, wage gaps, limited promotion opportunities, childcare responsibilities, and the uncommonness of female role models in environmental leadership are highly present in many industries and hamper women's participation in these fields even more. In addition to occupying informal circular economy activities or low-value-added activities, women face significant exposure to hazardous waste-related hazards and unsafe working conditions in these positions.

In addition, cultural expectations, especially in rural areas, hinder women's access to education, limiting their ability to engage in CE due to social norms and pressure promoting household and caregiving roles for women over professional and entrepreneurial positions. This gives women less access to financial resources, such as credits or investments, hindering their capacity to invest in sustainability and CE or start their businesses, restricting opportunities to develop their skills and to take action in socioeconomic development.

Moreover, despite the fact that they are more inclined to adopt sustainable practices and environmentally friendly behaviors and despite more substantial negative impacts of climate change on women (e.g., health, livelihood, etc.), national programs and generic frameworks aiming at fighting climate change and environmental degradation do not investigate gendered impacts or involve women in discussions, leading to a lack of targeted support for women's participation and empowerment. Their limited participation in policy formulation, the lack of systematic gender mainstream policies, and their limited access to financial and technical resources slow down the global transition to a more sustainable and circular world.

This isn’t a niche issue, it’s a systemic one. When women are excluded from decision-making in circular economy development, entire perspectives are lost, solutions become narrower, and innovation suffers.

What happens when women are involved?

Research and real-world examples show that gender-inclusive teams are more likely to consider long-term social and environmental consequences. Women are more likely to consider the environmental impacts of an economic decision and often bring different priorities to the table, ones shaped by community ties, caregiving responsibilities, and lived experience with unequal access to resources. This perspective is particularly valuable in circular economy thinking, as it requires cooperation across sectors, shared value creation, and regenerative design.

Moreover, some of the most transformative circular initiatives in recent years, from biodegradable packaging startups to community reuse platforms, have come from women-led organizations. Indeed, female leadership has more robust ethical and inclusive decision-making processes, leading to long-term environmental and social impacts, bringing unique insights and perspectives essential for business success and transition to a more sustainable world. Unfortunately, many still face challenges accessing funding, mentorship, and policy influence.

To eliminate the gender gap in CE and sustainability fields and accelerate the green transition, many institutions and organizations have launched initiatives to empower women in leadership roles and sustainability decisions. For example, the “Women for the green path” project aims to empower women by promoting employment and entrepreneurship opportunities within the CE in Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, increasing gender equality, social inclusion, and fostering sustainable practices across the region. In addition, the “Circular Women” global platform amplifies the voices of women working in the CE by fostering collaboration, resource sharing, and mentorship to ensure they have equal leadership opportunities in designing and implementing circular business models.

These initiatives are essential for raising awareness of gender disparities and empowering women in sustainability initiatives and businesses across diverse regions. By integrating gender perspectives into corporate strategies and climate policies, they help ensure inclusive and effective responses to the ongoing climate crisis.

We must act

It is our duty to take action to empower women in circular economy and sustainability decisions to fight climate change. To accelerate a gender-inclusive circular economy, we must integrate gender impact assessments into CE policy frameworks, fund women-led green businesses through targeted funding streams, close the data gap by tracking gender-differentiated statistics in CE sectors, and champion female role models in circular innovation, science, and policy.

Because a system that excludes women isn’t just unjust, it’s inefficient. Without equity at the core, circularity becomes just another broken cycle. This global transition demands more than technological or industrial change, it requires a cultural shift that values diverse voices and lived experiences, ensuring that our approach to the climate crisis is both inclusive and effective.

Written by Elise Mialaud