We partnered with Circle Economy on a focused GESI consultancy to strengthen their research on the socio-economic impacts of EU circular textile policies. The project explored the potential implications of four critical EU regulations: the Waste Framework Directive, Waste Shipment Regulation, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive on two key trading countries, Bangladesh and Ghana.
Our involvement began during the project proposal stage and continued through an independent GESI-focused review of the research findings. Throughout the engagement, we identified gaps, opportunities, and methodological improvements to strengthen the study’s approach to GESI considerations. Our team collaborated closely with the researchers to surface deeper insights into gender, informality, and systemic oppression within textile value chains, ensuring these critical dimensions were thoroughly addressed in the final research.
Snapshot of the Partnership
The partnership involved a comprehensive review process that significantly enhanced the research’s GESI dimensions. A key component of our work included identifying limitations such as missing disaggregated data, overlooked information gaps, and advocating for more comprehensive social analysis that connected emerging findings to larger structures of oppression and inequality. We emphasized how seemingly neutral policy frameworks can inadvertently reinforce power imbalances and disproportionately impact marginalized groups—particularly women, who occupy a major portion in the informal labor sectors.
Following the research phase, we contributed to a multi-stakeholder conference organized by the Circle Economy team to critically reflect on the report’s assumptions, findings, and next steps. Our involvement in this event allowed us to further advocate for inclusion and socio-economic dimensions in stakeholder discussions.
Our Impact
Our partnership delivered meaningful improvements to the research methodology and findings. We drew attention to the intersections of gender and socio-economic vulnerability, urging the research team to consider the broader systemic impacts of policy changes. Our review prompted researchers to clarify the rationale behind key research decisions, such as location selection and partner identification, which strengthened the arguments supporting the chosen research direction.
Circle Economy demonstrated remarkable openness to integrating our feedback, particularly around social and economic implications that might have otherwise remained unexplored. This responsiveness enabled deeper analysis of the impacts of EU policy frameworks on marginalized groups like informal workers, youth, and women. Our contribution pushed for clearer articulation of research decisions and highlighted potential limitations of the assessment, ultimately strengthening the report’s credibility and providing insight into future research avenues.
Our team provided strategic guidance while acknowledging research limitations, particularly the sparse research landscape and the absence of direct engagement with local organisations in Bangladesh. Throughout the stakeholder engagement process, we advocated for structuring discussions particularly around trade union hierarchies, socio-economic structures, and how overlapping systems of oppression impact ground-level implementation. We emphasized the need to position GESI as a core framework rather than treating it as a peripheral consideration, which contributed to a more holistic approach to the research.
Key Takeaways
This partnership demonstrated the critical importance of integrating GESI considerations from the earliest stages of research design through to stakeholder engagement and policy recommendations. We learned that effective policy research must explicitly examine how seemingly neutral frameworks can perpetuate existing inequalities and power imbalances.
The collaboration revealed the value of independent GESI review in surfacing overlooked dimensions of policy impacts, particularly on marginalised communities. It also highlighted the importance of disaggregated data and comprehensive social analysis in understanding the full implications of policy changes.
The initiative established a foundation for more inclusive approaches to circular economy research, emphasising that environmental and economic considerations must be balanced with social justice imperatives for truly sustainable outcomes.