Driving Inclusive and Responsible Business for a Greener, Fairer Cambodia

KAS Cambodia, Oxfam, Sustainable Business Alliance, and Waste Summit Cambodia unite to accelerate Cambodia’s transition toward inclusive, circular, and sustainable growth.

Cambodia’s path toward sustainable growth is entering an exciting new chapter as the Waste Summit Cambodia X Cambodia Inclusive and Responsible Business (IRB) Forum 2025 brings together policymakers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and development partners under one roof to drive action for a greener, fairer Cambodia.

Organized jointly by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Cambodia, Oxfam in Cambodia, and the Sustainable Business Alliance (SBA), the two-day event in Siem Reap connects the national IRB movement with Cambodia’s flagship environmental initiative – Waste Summit Cambodia – to explore how businesses can reduce poverty, strengthen resilience, and tackle the waste issue through IRB models.

Day 1 – Empowering Enterprises Through Inclusive and Responsible Business

The first day (24 October) focused on integrating IRB principles into Cambodia’s private sector. About 150 participants – including government officials, SMEs, development partners, and academics – shared insights on sustainable supply chains, gender equality, social protection and circular business innovation.

“An economy that leaves people behind is not a strong economy; it is a brittle one. For Cambodia, Inclusive Responsible Business is not a luxury or a charity, it is the only viable blueprint for resilient and shared national success.”, remarked H.E. Dr. Ciny Tung, Secretary of State, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI).

IRB is emerging as a powerful model to help Cambodia’s inclusive and sustainable growth – integrating low-income communities into business value chains while promoting ethical, fair, and environmentally friendly business practices.

“Cambodia’s path to sustainability requires multiple pillars, including public policy, aid, blended finance, and the critical involvement of the private sector.” said Mr. Oskar Haq, Inclusive Green Economy Program Manager at Oxfam in Cambodia. “The private sector holds significant potential to reduce poverty and injustice through responsible growth. By supporting SMEs to embed inclusivity and responsibility into their business models, they can innovate, stay competitive, and create both social and environmental values – a smart strategy for shared prosperity.”

The Forum builds on the regional Asia IRB Forum, first launched by Oxfam in Asia, and is now led by the SBA as Cambodia's national IRB platform, showcasing business cases from agriculture, manufacturing, services, and tourism that prove profitability can go hand in hand with social and environmental impacts.

Day 2 – Innovative Waste Economies: Turning Challenges into Opportunities

The second day (25 October) brought the momentum to the public through the Waste Summit Cambodia 2025, under the theme “Innovative Waste Economies.” With over 400 participants and 50+ exhibitors, the Summit showcases practical solutions that transform waste challenges into new economic opportunities.

Business matching sessions connected local start-ups and enterprises with investors, while technical workshops covered topics ranging from landfill alternatives and organic waste solutions to smart waste management systems.

“The Waste Summit is where ideas meet action,” said Ms. Daniela Braun, Country Director of KAS Cambodia. “By combining the energy of innovators, policymakers, and responsible businesses, we turn waste into opportunity, challenges into collaboration, and sustainability into a shared mission for Cambodia’s future. No single actor can tackle these issues alone – only through partnership can we achieve lasting change.” TBC

The day culminated in “The Flavors of Sustainability: Tourism Movements”, a unique networking event with Chef Sao Sopheak, celebrating local produce and sustainable Cambodian flavors. The symbolic opening of a Local Wonders Box – filled with artisanal products like Kampot pepper, palm sugar, and silk – represented Cambodia’s rich potential to link sustainability with culture and community pride.

A Shared Commitment to Sustainable Futures

The joint IRB Forum and Waste Summit underscore the growing alignment between IRB principles and environmental action in Cambodia. By linking economic development with social responsibility and environmental stewardship, Cambodia can pave the way for a truly inclusive green economy.

KAS and Oxfam will continue strengthening the SBA as an open platform for SMEs, policymakers, and development partners to collaborate on inclusive, responsible, and sustainable growth. We encourage more enterprises and ecosystem actors to leverage this platform to co-develop initiatives, share learning, and drive systemic change for a sustainable future of Cambodia.