Case study
Grassroots Circular Waste Collaborative
Inclusive livelihoods & informal economy
The challenge
Grassroots waste entrepreneurs handle a large share of recyclable recovery. But they remain largely excluded from formal finance and growth support.
Our innovation
We designed a blended-finance product that positions trusted civil society organisations as last-mile intermediaries. This enables us to build a credit-ready pipeline and reduce lender risk through targeted de-risking and enterprise support.
Implementation
Phase 1: Demonstrating potential
Enabling first-time lending to waste entrepreneurs through a catalytic facility that combines risk-sharing — like guarantees — with enterprise support and intermediation.
Phase 2: Scaling operations
Building a pooled revolving fund with a complementary grant and technical assistance pool to expand ticket sizes and strengthen enterprise operations.
Phase 3: Democratising access
Shifting decision-making and flexible capital closer to local intermediaries and the communities best placed to measure and improve impact.
Results
Phase 1 was designed to validate demand, assess repayment performance and implement a replicable intermediation model.
Phases 2 and 3 were structured as the scale pathway, contingent on Phase 1 learning and performance.
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