For Circular Economy Innovation, Look to the Global South

Most corporate circular economy strategies focus on incremental improvements in products and operations, overlooking transformative innovations emerging from grassroots communities. These local initiatives—driven by necessity and resource constraints—offer scalable solutions for waste reduction, supply chain resilience, and environmental and social leadership. To unlock shared value and future-proof business, leaders should broaden their innovation funnel, map waste streams, invest in community partnerships, and update metrics to reflect both different types of return on investment