Women entrepreneurs are driving the circular economy in Africa

Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all. It’s at the heart of the UN Sustainable Development goals. So the concept of a circular economy focused on recycling, reusing and remanufacture, is a direct response to growing concerns about resource scarcity. It raises awareness that business as usual is literally unsustainable. In 2014, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Economic Forum released a report suggesting that over US$1 trillion a year could be generated for the global economy by 2025, and 100,000 new jobs created within the next five years, if businesses adopted a circular economy approach. The good news is that a new generation of innovative women ecopreneurs in Africa are playing their part. They are successfully linking sustainable business to environmental consciousness and concern for societal well-being. Read our article on some of Africa’s leading women ecopreneurs who are driving the circular economy on the continent.