This study examines how women entrepreneurs drive circular innovation through creative waste-management practices that convert waste streams into economic, social, and environmental value. Grounded in the circular economy and social entrepreneurship literatures, the research investigates the strategies, motivations, and enabling conditions that allow women-led enterprises to transform waste into marketable products and services. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, the study will purposively sample 8–12 women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in repurposing, upcycling, recycling, or waste-to-value activities across urban and peri-urban settings. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews with founders and staff, on-site observations, and document analysis (business plans, product catalogs, promotional material). Thematic analysis will be applied to identify innovation practices, business model configurations, resource and network mobilization strategies, gender-specific enablers and constraints, and the social/ecological impacts of these ventures. Expected contributions include (1) an empirically grounded typology of creative waste-management practices used by women entrepreneurs, (2) insights into how gendered networks and resource access shape circular innovation, and (3) practical recommendations for policymakers, incubators and funders to scale women-led circular enterprises. Findings aim to inform both academic debates on gendered entrepreneurship in the circular economy and actionable interventions to foster sustainable, inclusive value chains.
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