Mainstreaming Gender in the single use plastic manufacturing plants in Egypt

The project supported the Government of Egypt’s initiative to transition towards environmentally sustainable production and consumption of plastics, particularly targeting single-use products and packaging. Implemented under a UNIDO program, the assignment focused on mainstreaming gender within the project’s design and implementation. Bureau Gladys carried out a comprehensive gender analysis (GA) of the project and the plastics value chain in Egypt. This included four main tasks: conducting the gender analysis, identifying strategies to increase women’s participation, establishing baseline indicators for gender inclusion, and designing gender-based awareness activities for the project staff. A hybrid GA framework was developed to cover three levels—macro (national regulatory and legal context), meso (project structure, objectives, and activities), and micro (upstream plastics production)—using thematic checklists and stakeholder interviews. The aim was to ensure that gender equality considerations became integral to sustainable plastics management, thereby enhancing both social and environmental impact.