Grassroots Circular Waste Collaborative (GCWC)
The Grassroots Circular Waste Collaborative (GCWC) aims to democratize access to capital and technical assistance for underserved entrepreneurs in India’s solid waste management sector. Comprising well over 90% of the economy, India’s nano, micro, and informal entrepreneurs are the backbone of the waste management sector and key mitigators of emissions from waste. Yet they remain underfunded, unrecognized, and structurally disadvantaged. The GCWC’s mission is to enhance grassroots waste entrepreneurs’ livelihoods, amplify their impact, and increase their visibility in the ecosystem through equitable access to capital and technical assistance. The collaborative aims to design and build innovative financing mechanisms with early-adopter capital providers to enhance grassroots waste entrepreneurs’ livelihoods, amplify their impact, and increase their visibility in the ecosystem. Supported by IKEA Foundation and Laudes Foundation, GCWC focuses on textile, plastic, and food waste.
GDI’s role
GDI is designing and building the GCWC from scratch in partnership with key ecosystem funders, entrepreneurs, and community support organizations. Following an extensive discovery, we are now moving into testing hypotheses and developing real-world case studies that will shape the strategy, offerings, investment thesis, and structure of the facility.