Third of 4 parts
Pasig City:
Innovation for scale, for all
Pasig’s circular story is powered by people who refused to wait for change.
Hardworking women transform textile waste into market-ready products. Dedicated waste pickers who innovate finally gained recognition. They are actively involved queer community who saw clutter as an opportunity for creativity.
The city understood that transformation was already happening in its communities; it simply needed to be supported, strengthened and sustained.
In 2023, Pasig took a decisive step by opening the Innovation for Circular Economy (ICE) Hub co-designed with development partners to jump-start inclusive innovation for plastics and organic waste in collaboration with United Nations Development Program with support from the Japanese government.
From what was originally envisioned to be a materials recovery facility has now evolved into a living space. ICE Hub has since become a shared testing ground where circular ideas grow into social enterprises where upcycling collectives and circular start-ups now earn more securely from skills that were once informal or undervalued. It became a story of people reclaiming dignity through circular innovation.
Infrastructure has been reshaped to reflect the realities of those who keep the system running. Material Recovery Facilities were redesigned to be inclusive, with safe work areas, and free and accessible tools and spaces that respond to the needs of informal workers, micro-entrepreneurs, women and local leaders who form the backbone of the circular chain.
In the experience of a women-led upcycling enterprise at the Hub, its members are now earning several times more than the minimum wage, proving that circular innovation can strengthen livelihoods as much as the environment.
Linking these community gains with investment plans and digital systems ensures progress does not remain scattered or short-lived. A people-centered smart city, Pasig shows it is one where everyone has a stake in shaping the future.
In Pasig, innovation is not just about adopting new technologies; it is about nurturing relationships, trust and collaboration, thriving because communities see themselves not as recipients of change, but as co-builders of a more equitable economy.
(To be continued)
UNDP Philippines News
