Gender Smart Circulate Capital

Gender diversity can spark creativity and innovation, and help businesses seize new opportunities. In Episode 4, Gender Smart speaks to Julie Willoughby, Chief Scientific Officer at Circ, an advanced recycling technology innovator that returns clothes to the raw materials from which they were made. 
Julie discusses the importance of having a female voice at the table and how she has incorporated a gender lens within Circ and her leadership style. Drawing from her own experiences, she also shares her advice for female fundraising leaders.
“By having different perspectives and different creativity in the team, listening to all the voices at the table, you’ll have a more powerful toolbox.” -  Julie Willoughby

Waste management in South and Southeast Asia is dominated by the informal sector and women make up a disproportionate percentage of these workers. To ensure gender equality across the value chain, more must be done to uplift the informal workforce. In Episode 3, Gender Smart speaks to Ekta Narain, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Recykal, an online circular economy marketplace that provides end-to-end digital solutions to connect waste generators, processors, recyclers and brand owners.
Ekta discusses the challenges faced by women in waste management and recycling, how Recykal is seeking to formalize the industry in India to deliver equal opportunities across the supply chain, and shares her advice for businesses advancing gender empowerment. 
“At our (business) level, we should identify areas where women are seeking support and ensure the right platform is created for them to show their skills and talent.” - Ekta Narain

Awareness of the intersection between gender and improved business and climate outcomes is growing. As research into the topic deepens our understanding, more corporations and impact investors are embarking on their journey to become gender-smart. In Episode 2, Gender Smart speaks to Suzanne Biegel, Co-Founder of GenderSmart and Founder of Catalyst at Large, a consulting firm that focuses on facilitating gender lens investing. 
Suzanne unpacks the relationship between gender diversity, improved climate resilience and business performance. She also discusses the positive mindset shift she has observed across the full spectrum of capital as well as the practical actions that can be adopted at a fund- and company-level.
“It’s not just about thinking of women as beneficiaries or those who are most affected, but to see women as agents of change.” - Suzanne Biegel

There is a clear business case for investing in a waste management and recycling industry that is more inclusive. For Episode 1, Gender Smart speaks to Ellen Martin, Chief Impact Officer at Circulate Capital, an investment management firm that finances solutions to prevent the flow of plastic waste into the world’s oceans, and advance a carbon neutral circular economy in high-growth markets. "It became clear, as we started to identify the opportunity for Circulate Capital to invest in the waste management space that women had to be part of it." — Ellen Martin.  
On this episode, we discuss:
Why does it matter to understand the role of women in the waste management and recycling industry? How does investing in women create value for the business and also value for women? What does it concretely mean to adopt a gender lens and how can investors get started?