25/02/2026
Before launching the 8-month WE4D programme powered by , we paused.
If we are serious about empowering women in the waste sector, creating green jobs, and establishing additional waste collection hubs, then we must first understand the lived realities of the women already doing this work.
So we sat down and listened.
Through a structured Gender Gap Analysis, several urgent issues emerged — including heightened risks of gender-based violence (GBV), sexual harassment within informal work environments, and persistent income disparities between men and women performing similar roles.
These are not side issues.
They are systemic barriers to dignity, safety, and economic mobility.
At Chemolex, we believe circular economy solutions must also be gender-responsive. That is why, ahead of implementation, we are working closely with and other ecosystem stakeholders to ground our approach in evidence.
Together, we are conducting:
• Field-based data collection
• Focus group discussions
• One-on-one interviews
• Site visits across operational areas
• Anonymous surveys to ensure safe disclosure
This process ensures that the WE4D programme is not designed in isolation, but built around real risks, real voices, and real solutions.
Empowering women in the waste sector is not only about jobs.
It is about safe working environments.
It is about equitable pay.
It is about formal systems that protect, not expose.
As we move toward implementation, we invite partners and advocates to join us in building safer, more inclusive working spaces — particularly for women and persons with disabilities (PWDs) who remain disproportionately vulnerable within informal economies.
Circular systems must be inclusive by design.
And inclusion must begin with listening.
ClimateJustice
