Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPENew report of the Wuppertal-Institute shows: A circular plastics economy can strengthen human rights
The impacts of plastic pollution extend far beyond environmental and climate issues, affecting fundamental human rights as well. A recent report by the Wuppertal Institute, published as a contribution to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), examines the links between linear plastics value chains, the circular economy, and human rights impacts.
The analysis shows that today's predominantly linear plastics value chains are associated with a wide range of social and environmental risks. Workers throughout the value chain, local communities and vulnerable populations, particularly in the Global South, are disproportionately affected. Among the rights at risk are the rights to health, clean water, food, decent work, and a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
At the same time, the report demonstrates that a well-functioning circular plastics economy has significant potential to reduce these impacts. Lower demand for virgin plastics, longer product lifetimes, and effective reuse and recycling systems can help conserve natural resources, reduce environmental pressures, and create new employment and income opportunities. However, the authors also emphasize that positive social outcomes cannot be taken for granted. To ensure that the transition towards a circular plastics economy genuinely improves human rights, social considerations and human rights due diligence must be integrated into policies, business models, and value chains from the outset.
The report therefore provides an important contribution to the international debate on sustainable plastics systems, highlighting that the circular economy is not only a key strategy for resource conservation and climate protection but also an important means of advancing and protecting human rights.
Source: Wuppertal Institute / OHCHR – A Circular Plastics Economy and Human Rights