Using recycling to change culture

Start with yourself, says Chilean social innovator Gonzalo Muñoz in this video for the Schwab Foundation. Great leaders should first lead themselves: “Fall in love with the cause you’re trying to solve, and not necessarily with the organisation as your tool”.

This post is part of a major series from the Schwab Foundation looking at lessons from leading social entrepreneurs.

He says although they run recycling stations, their main goal is empowering citizens to change their habits and become more sustainable consumers: “We are a cultural change company masquerading as a recycling company,” he says.

Muñoz says leaders must learn to recognise the right people for the job: “Leading the organisation means understanding that people in a certain moment have to give their best, but maybe in the next phase they will not be necessarily be the right people with the proper skills.”

Author: Gonzalo Muñoz is co-founder and CEO of TriCiclos in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia.