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The contributions of the informal workforce often go unrecognised. This session will highlight the informal workforce’s critical role in driving the circular economy, emphasising the importance of pro-poor, context-specific and holistic approaches. Through a critical examination of the opportunities, constraints and challenges, the speakers will delve into what is needed to ensure inclusive integration of workers into formal circular economy policies, projects and investments. They will gather voices from various regions and sectors, offer diverse perspectives on the synergies of informality and circularity, and demonstrate that circular economy can be a tool for development.
Organisers: Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, with Circle Economy Foundation and the Circular Economy Coalition for Latin American and the Caribbean.
Matthew Fraser is a recognised expert in the circular economy, with over a decade of experience advising governments on measurement and strategy. At Circle Economy, he leads initiatives that provide policymakers with data-driven insights to assess circularity performance and identify high-impact opportunities for sustainable resource management. Matthew specialises in translating complex resource flows into actionable strategies, supporting governments in integrating circular principles into policy and investment decisions.
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No circularity without informality
Sonia Dias
Global waste specialist
WIEGO
Sonia Dias has a PhD in political science and a specialisation in solid waste management (JICA fellow). In addition to her current position, she is also engaged in national and local work in Brazil. Her past work includes policy officer for the cleaning agency of Belo Horizonte city and consultant for several international agencies. She sits on advisory boards for organisations such as Pimp my Carroça NGO, End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). She is an Eisenhower Fellow and the coordinator of the Circular Economy Thematic Chamber of the Brazilian Climate Change Forum.
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North American waste pickers
Sonja Birdwell
Laborer
Ground Score Association
Sonja Birdwell works for a waste picker organisation in Portland, Oregon in the United States. For the past 3½ years she has been a waste picker, with a limited income only covering basic expenses like rent and utilities. She has collected bottles and cans for income and discovered a resourceful way to furnish her home by collecting discarded furniture from streets and dumpsters. In her spare time she loves to spend time with her dog Wanda taking walks at Portland's beautiful waterfront park.
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Circularity and informality: Perspectives from across regions
Beatriz Martins Carneiro
Regional Coordinator
UNEP
Beatriz is the regional head of finance and economic transformations at UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean office, aiming at shifting finance and business practices towards sustainable patterns of consumption and production and reducing climate impacts, biodiversity loss and pollution. She’s a trained lawyer, specialised on sustainable development. Before joining UNEP in 2017, she worked at the Brazilian Ministry of Development Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazilian Ministry of Environment, World Business Council for Sustainable Development – Brazilian Chapter, WWF Brazil and at UNDP. As part of her role at UNEP, Beatriz leads the coordination of the Latin America and the Caribbean Circular Economy Coalition.
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Davinah Milenge Uwella
Chief Programme Coordinator
African Development Bank (AfDB)
Davinah coordinates several special initiatives within the Climate Change and Green Growth Department of AfDB. These include the Africa Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Hub, a platform hosted at AfDB to support African countries implement their Paris Agreement climate commitments; the Secretariat of the African Financial Alliance on Climate Change (AFAC), an initiative launched by the African Development Bank to mobilise, catalyze and leverage domestic climate finance; and the Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF).
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Anderson da Silva Nassif
Director
Ancat
Anderson da Silva Nassif, born on 24 March 1978, is a community and environmental leader from Orlândia, São Paulo. He was the president of COOPERLOL for 12 years, promoting advancements within the cooperative. Currently, he is the manager of COOPERLOL, director of ANCAT, responsible for the Reciclar pelo Brasil Program, and secretary director of Rede Anastácia. He works on project coordination and providing consultancy for cooperatives. His work strengthens cooperativism and sustainability, generating significant social and environmental impact.
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The future of waste pickers in a circular economy world
Severino Lima Junior
President
International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP)
Severino Lima Junior is a prominent Brazilian waste picker leader and founder of ASCAMAR (1999) and COOCAMAR (2007), waste pickers' organisations in Brazil. He is also associated with the Brazil-based waste picker organisation UNICATADORES, an affiliate of the IAWP. He is currently serving as the first President of IAWP. He is well versed in public policies on waste management, cooperatives, climate change and plastics pollution. IAWP is supported by WIEGO.
