SiKanda was selected by the Inclusive Plastic Action Programme 2025, promoted by the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) with funding from the UK government, as one of 10 local organizations leading global action against plastic pollution through social and gender inclusion.

Solidaridad Internacional Kanda AC (SiKanda) is the only Mexican organization selected this year. It shares the recognition with nine other initiatives from the Americas, Africa, and Asia, with which it shares a mission to collaborate with informal recyclers. Its objective is to recognize their crucial contribution to waste recovery through training and actions that lead to better working and living conditions.

According to information from the GPAP platform:

This recognition is accompanied by a joint investment to equip two collection centers with basic tools and equipment for recycling groups on the Oaxaca coast. They will also receive training in the management and operation of these spaces. While Inclusive Recycling focuses on the rights of recyclers, experience has shown the need to strengthen skills and support them in initiatives they can manage themselves, reducing dependence on the public or governmental sphere. Promoting collective work to consolidate recyclable volumes strengthens their price negotiation capacity, increases their income, and also increases their capacity to collaborate with local governments and citizens.

Since 2009, SiKanda has implemented projects aimed at strengthening the working and personal conditions of those working in informal recycling, with an intersectoral approach based on rights, inclusion, and gender, which places men and women at the center of this activity.

This is relevant because cities, businesses, and the recycling industry benefit considerably from the long workdays that recyclers put in, out of necessity or lack of opportunities. In return, they receive insufficient income, are exposed to health risks, suffer stigmatization, and see their options for career and personal advancement limited.

By recognizing local initiatives and participating recycling communities, who are truly empowering solutions like the circular economy, it is evident that successful recycling depends on prioritizing the inclusion of recyclers.

At the local level, as an organization combating plastic pollution, WWF Mexico will collaborate with GPAP to monitor this SiKanda project.

Learn more about Inclusive Plastic Action Programme 2025 aquí.

20 million people worldwide base their income on informal recycling, with a higher proportion of women.Informal recyclers contribute to 60% of plastic recycling.