How Finance Fuels a Just Transition
This Saturday, 1 March, we mark World Waste Pickers Day—a moment to celebrate the unsung heroes of global recycling systems. Waste pickers, who collect and process 60% of the world’s recycled materials, are environmental stewards and economic innovators, yet their contributions remain undervalued. At BVRio, we champion their role as catalysts for a just transition, combining environmental action with social equity.
Finance Tools for Social Inclusion
A just transition demands financial mechanisms that empower waste pickers while driving environmental outcomes. BVRio’s Circular Action Hub, Circular Credits Mechanism (CCM) Standard, and KOLEKT app exemplify this approach, creating direct pathways for waste pickers to access funding, fair wages, and growth opportunities.
- Circular Credits Mechanism (CCM): This pioneering standard and crediting system facilitates payments for environmental services, ensuring measurable social and environmental benefits. The updated CCM Standard and Implementation Guidelines support waste workers, enhance social equity, and complement upstream waste prevention strategies.
- KOLEKT: A multi-material waste management app co-designed with waste pickers, KOLEKT channels Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funds and corporate incentives directly to waste workers. Used in more than 60 countries and serving projects in Brazil, Mozambique, Kenya and Angola, KOLEKT ensures waste pickers are compensated transparently while scaling waste recovery. In 2024, KOLEKT transactions quadrupled, reaching 50,000, with over 10,000 active users worldwide.
Waste Pickers in the Global Plastics Treaty
The Global Plastics Treaty negotiations highlight waste pickers’ role and rights to fair wages, social protection, and inclusion in policy design. BVRio has actively participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) sessions, advocating for waste workers’ recognition in global policy. Our contributions helped secure language in the Chair’s Text acknowledging the critical role of waste pickers in tackling plastic pollution—an important victory for the sector and a legacy of our work.
Beyond Recycling: Holistic ESG Impact
At BVRio, we redefine waste management through projects that address Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals holistically:
- Fishing for Litter: This programme removed over 460 tonnes of waste from Guanabara Bay in three years operating on a small scale. Last year, a two-month effort resulted in the collection of 2,080 tyres sold to energy generation. The initiative also enabled the creation of the first Cooperative of Marine Waste Pickers (COOPROMAR), led by a woman, reinforcing our commitment to marine conservation and community empowerment.
- Capacity Building: Training programmes for Rio’s cooperatives improved recycling efficiency, worker safety, and business management skills, aligning with Social and Governance ESG pillars. With the support of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, we’ve expanded to nine waste cooperatives aimed to recycle over 5,000 tonnes of plastic waste by 2026, benefiting more than 300 waste pickers with fair pay, equipment, and improved working conditions. By enhancing operational efficiency and leadership development, we are ensuring long-term sustainability and economic resilience for these cooperatives.
Funding a Just Transition
On World Waste Pickers Day, we urge businesses, governments, and investors to:
- Fund Inclusive Systems: Direct EPR and climate finance to waste picker cooperatives.
- Adopt Tech Solutions: utilise tools like KOLEKT to ensure transparency and equity.
- Embed Social Responsibility in ESG Frameworks: Ensure waste pickers’ rights and fair compensation are integral to corporate sustainability commitments, aligned with financial mechanisms standards such as BVRio’s CCM to support and drive systemic change.
At BVRio, we prove that environmental finance can—and must—prioritise social justice. Waste pickers are not just beneficiaries of change; they are its architects.
Publications & Global Contributions
BVRio’s CCM Standard & Implementation Guidelines have gained recognition in major international reports:
- World Bank Report: Our Circular Credits Mechanism was featured in ‘Unlocking Financing to Combat the Plastics Crisis.’
- PREVENT Waste Alliance: We contributed to the ‘Guidelines on Minimum Requirements for Plastic Waste Recovery & Crediting Standards,’ ensuring greater financial flows to the sector.
Partner with Us
Finance fuels the transition to a circular economy—but it must be just. Join us in making waste management inclusive and sustainable. Contact BVRio to collaborate today.
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