The move to a circular economy for plastics is imminent. With the fourth round of negotiations for the global treaty on plastics pollution happening later this month, and the signing of the final text scheduled for next year, everyone involved in plastics supply chains must now prepare for their transformation. 

The best way to achieve this seismic shift is to put informal waste workers at its heart. This millions-strong community manage 58% of all the plastic waste that’s collected and recovered globally. As the United Nations Environment Program has emphasized, we cannot transform our relationship with plastic without them. 

As things stand, these waste workers exist within a largely unregulated landscape. Inconsistently enforced legislative standards have resulted in a low bar when it comes to both the quality of recycled material and the treatment of the workers who collect most of the plastic used to make it. 

To move from the current linear “take-make-waste” model to a circular one, in which extraneous plastic packaging is eradicated and all remaining plastics are repurposed or recycled at the end of their use, supply chains need to be centered on proper collection and sortation standards. These will rely on a newfound respect for waste workers’ rights, just as much as they do on the development of high-quality infrastructure.

Empowering marginalized waste workers is a key step in moving towards circularity. Tackling plastic pollution is as much a question of improving the social aspects of supply chains as the environmental ones. The two go hand-in-hand.

The current situation is that waste issues are pushed out of sight and out of mind, to economically disadvantaged places where people’s rights are not prioritized. Waste workers then face further social stigmatization because their jobs aren’t deemed worthy of dignity or respect. 

However, these waste workers provide an essential service that will play a critical role in building a sustainable circular economy. They understand exactly where plastic waste comes from, how it moves around, and where it ends up. Accordingly, we must adopt a grassroots approach centered on them. We need to listen to their experiences and opinions to co-create viable plans of action that tackle real-world problems. 

Transparency is essential for effective supply chain transformation. Brands, retailers and manufacturers must make every effort to map out their entire supply chains. Once businesses fully understand the details within, they’ll be able to build strong relationships with all their suppliers, vendors and communities of waste workers. They’ll be able to foster trust and enable meaningful collaboration while benefiting from the unique insights of those on the ground. Such openness ensures a just transition to a circular economy, which means that no one is left behind. 

The transition to a circular economy for plastic, alongside overall reduction strategies, will be an essential element of any action to tackle plastics pollution. But we must ensure this transition is just and inclusive, centering those on the front lines of this industry — the world’s waste workers and the coastal communities who are so often overlooked. We must flip this script, using meaningful dialogue, data and standards to elevate the sector and drive dignity throughout our supply chains.

All companies connected in supply chains should conduct due diligence. For example, before signing a contract with us, members of the leadership team from the British cosmetics retailer Lush visited our plastic waste collection centers in Semarang and Jakarta, Indonesia. They took the opportunity to speak with waste collectors about the realities of their daily work.

For such due diligence to become universal, we need a rigorous set of standards for every company or organization involved in the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic. To this end, we created the Prevented Ocean Plastic Standards, which go beyond basic regulatory and compliance measures to minimize environmental impacts, ensure quality products and improve worker conditions. For example, they require fair and consistent payments for workers and zero tolerance for child labor.

Supply chain transparency isn’t just a social and environmental step forward; it’s an economic one too. As the climate crisis escalates and the move to a circular economy gathers momentum, it ensures better business adaptation to changing market conditions. 

Businesses are in a much stronger position to mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities for innovation and collaboration if they have a proper understanding of their supply chains and close working relationships with all parties involved — especially the waste workers on the front line of the plastics pollution crisis. In a changing world, they are key to making circularity a reality.

Raffi Schieir is director of  Prevented Ocean Plastic.