Draft Concept Note - UNEP OECD ILO Webinar

Addressing plastic waste through responsible business conduct:
Experiences from Southeast Asia
Date: 16 March 2022 (10-12am CET / 4-6pm Indochina Time/Bangkok) - TBC
Virtual event
Background
Microplastics are now ubiquitous in the natural environment. Plastic waste and pollution are
threatening ecosystems and livelihoods across Southeast Asia. Increasing volumes of plastic
waste have led to acute environmental, social and health impacts, particularly for vulnerable
communities. Asia is both a hotspot for plastic pollution as well as a range of innovative
measures designed to curb plastic pollution. Business are increasingly finding innovative ways
to reduce plastic waste and transition to a more resource-efficient and circular economy.
Market assessments of plastics circularity, waste and pollution are needed to eliminate
unnecessary single use plastics, increase collection and recyclability, and to promote
innovation. A human rights based approach to preventing waste and plastic pollution
contributes to safeguarding the environment. The protection of the environment andecosystems also contributes to the fulfilment of human rights and human well-being, including
health, an adequate standard of living and decent work.
Progress against these goals is essential to achieving sustainable supply chains and a low
carbon economy, as well as to promoting decent work. However, this transition will havecomplex impacts on employment in the value chains. Whilst some jobs may be lost in
manufacturing, new opportunities can be created in repair, resale, sorting, pre-processing,and recycling. This provides the potential for higher quality jobs, particularly for those in theinformal economy; as well as a need for re-skilling, formalisation of enterprises in the watemanagement sector and access to social protection to the thousands of workers working insectors related or linked to the management of plastic waste.
An equitable transition that provides opportunities for decent work will not happen
automatically, and targeted interventions and collective responses are required by the private
sector. Business strategies should be informed by holistic assessments of social andenvironmental impacts across value chains, factoring in the gender dimension of bothchallenges and opportunities. A systemic approach to achieving more sustainable value
chains can contribute to building more prosperous and resilient economies and inclusive
societies.
According to the ILO, a sustained 5% annual increase in recycling rates for plastics, glass, wood
pulp, metals and minerals could generate around 6 million additional jobs worldwide. 1 For
example, 500,000 people are employed in the recycling and waste management sectors in
Bangladesh, most of them women. While this sector has an enormous potential to create newjobs, many of the employment in this sector remains largely part of the informal economy inmany countries. Workers face serious decent work deficits, such as work-related hazards,
discrimination, stigmatization, violence and harassment, low earnings and long working hours.
They often are not legally registered and are not protected by labour laws, with no access tosocial protection benefits.
1 ILO, Greening with jobs WESO, 2018

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in different ways, leading to a number ofongoing health, economic and environmental problems. Millions of people are quarantined
or working from home generating extra residential and medical waste, some of which is mixed
with plastic or other waste that could be contaminated with the virus, a situation which would
further accentuate the precariousness of the working conditions of workers in this sector.2
During the pandemic, waste collection remains an essential service that must continue asnormal as possible to prevent waste from building up in the community. As the pandemic
persists, waste collection workers may be more exposed to the contagion as they frequently
touch surfaces that may be contaminated and face increased workloads.
International instruments such as the ILO MNE Declaration and OECD Guidelines forMultinational-Enterprises provide frameworks to support and drive efforts of all stakeholders to
adopt a holistic approach to addressing plastic waste and their impact on the world of work.
This includes helping businesses avoid and address adverse impacts to workers, consumers andthe environment that may be associated with operations, supply chains or business
relationships; re-skilling of the workforce to meet the demands of new sectors such as therecycling and waste management. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) 3 through a
responsible business conduct lens means adopting a holistic approach to informal waste
management for instance. Similarly, plastic credit systems adopted in line with RBC standards
can support standardizing sustainable production and consumption, recovery and offsetting
processes.
Through this webinar, UNEP, the ILO and OECD will explore how businesses are addressing
plastic waste through responsible business conduct in Southeast Asia. Participants will discuss
how OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct and the ILO’s
Guidelines for a Just Transition can be integrated into business policies and processes in orderto address plastic waste and to deliver Decent Work.
This session will showcase innovative business practices for plastic circularity and highlight what
actions are needed to help businesses, governments and communities to shift away frombusiness as usual to an inclusive circular and more sustainable and resource-efficient plastics
economy.

Objectives:Highlight the impacts of plastic waste and pollution in SEA, and underline the connection
to Decent Work, RBC and gender impacts.
Discuss business responsibilities and opportunities for action.
Exchange experiences on conducting due diligence in plastic value chains, on
occupational health and the formalization of employment in the waste management
sector.
Provide an overview of recent policy developments related to RBC and promote resourcesthat will help companies address plastic pollution and waste issues holistically.

Outcomes:

Improved business understanding of the connection between plastic waste, decent workand the circular economy.
Greater awareness of policy developments and drivers for supply chain due diligence.

2 https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/resources-library/publications/WCMS_762877/lang--en/index.htm
3 OECD defines Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s

responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle. See:
https://www.oecd.org/environment/extended-producer-responsibility.htm

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Uptake in use of RBC Due Diligence framework and other tools that support business indeveloping holistic strategies to addressing plastic waste and promoting Decent Work intheir RBC strategies.

Structure of the Webinar:• Duration of this virtual workshop is 2 hours.
••

It will be conducted via Zoom.
This is an open event with registration required.

Primary Audience:Businesses and industry groups in S.E.Asia
Researchers and practitioners
Civil society

Draft Agenda:

4:00 – 4:15
(GMT+7 / ICT)PM

AGENDA
Opening remarks and welcome Housekeeping and introduction of key opening speaker(10am CET/ Paris)

4:15 – 4:35 PM

Connecting the dots: RBC, Plastics and the Circular Economy•

4:35 – 4.40 PM

Sophia Gnych, OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct– What is RBC?
environmental due diligence in practice
Maarten Dubois, Project Lead on Circular Economy and Plastics at the OECD,‒ Key findings from the OECD Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers,
Environmental Impacts and Policy Options
Vincent Aloysius, SEA circular project, UNEP
– framing the challenge of plastic waste and pollution in S.E. Asia

Video contribution:


4:40 – 5:30 PM

Mr Laurent Louradis, Counsellor, Delegation of the European Union to
Thailand.
o Introduction and overview of the EU policy on Plastics andEnvironmental Due Diligence.

Dr. Marcos A. Orellana, Special Rapporteur on the implications for humanrights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous
substances and wastes (TBC).

Panel discussion. Leadership in Plastics Circularity: Opportunities & Barriers*Moderator - Georgina Lloyd – UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator,
Environmental Law and Governance

Ms Indah Budiani, Executive Director, Indonesia Business representative(Indonesian Business Council for Sustainable Development)
Josephine Tan, General Manager, Penang Green Council
Alvaro Zurita - Team Leader, Rethinking Plastics - Circular Economy Solutions
to Marine Litter · GIZ

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Prof Sara Seck - Associate Professor of Law; Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human
Rights Law, Associate Dean, Marine & Environmental Law Institute, Schulich
School of Law.

*Suggest conversational format with no formal presentations

5:30 – 5:50 PM

Q&A with audience

5:50 – 6 PM

Closing remarks
Dr Cristina Martinez - A Just Transition to Decent Work & Circular Economy
in Plastics sector, Senior Specialist on Environment and Decent Work – ILO
o Reflections / key take aways / next steps

Background
Under the joint Responsible Supply Chains in Asia programme (RSCA), implemented together with
the European Union, the ILO and OECD have been engaging with governments and companies
across global supply chains to promote an enhanced respect for human rights, labour andenvironmental standards by businesses engaged in supply chains. Through the RSCA, the ILO andOECD are contributing expertise on trade and investment, labour and risk-based RBC due diligenceto support an enabling environment for RBC, to boost industry capacity, and to raise awareness of
the importance of RBC and Decent Work in Asia. The RSCA programme is being carried out in
partnership with six key countries for global supply chains across Asia including Japan, China, thePhilippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
ILO MNE Declaration
The MNE Declaration is the only ILO instrument that provides direct guidance to enterprises(multinational and national) on social policy and inclusive, responsible and sustainable workplace
practices. This policy instrument was elaborated and adopted by governments, employers andworkers from around the world. It was adopted 40 years ago and amended several times, mostrecently in March 2017. Its principles are addressed to multinational and national enterprises,
governments of home and host countries, as well as to employers’ and workers’ organizations;providing guidance in such areas as employment, training, conditions of work and life, industrial
relations as well as general policies in order to maximize the continued prominent role ofmultinational enterprises in the process of social and economic upgrading in a globalized andinterconnected world. The ILO MNE Declaration is founded substantially on principles contained ininternational labour standards.
OECD Instruments on Responsible Business Conduct
The OECD Guidelines are an international soft law instrument backed by 50 governments
representing 61% of global trade and 80% of international investments. They enshrine
recommendations from governments to business on how companies should be contributing
positively to sustainable development while also addressing their adverse impacts on people andthe planet. Specifically, the Guidelines include recommendations for responsible business behavior
across all areas of business impact, including but not limited to the environment, human rights,
industrial relations, consumer interests, disclosure and science and technology.
The OECD Guidelines also include an expectation that business conduct comprehensive supply
chain due diligence to identify and address their adverse impacts on people and the planet. To
support businesses in carrying out due diligence, the OECD has developed due diligence guidance

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for specific sectors and at a cross sector level, to explain how to practically implement
recommendations on RBC – including across supply chains and taking into account both socialand environmental risks and adverse impacts of business activities. Strengthening the integration ofenvironmental - in addition to human rights - supply chain due diligence into various voluntary andmandatory regulations and policy initiatives is on the rise. These efforts also point to a growing global
recognition of the OECD Guidelines and OECD guidance on due diligence in addressing
environmental threats, dependencies and adverse impacts.
SEA circular
SEA circular is an initiative of the UN Environment Programme and the Coordinating Body on the
Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) to inspire market-based solutions and encourage enabling policies toprevent marine plastic pollution and less plastic wasted in South-East Asia. The project is working insix countries in South-East Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand andVietnam, from 2019-2023 with the support of the Government of Sweden. SEA circular works withnational and provincial governments, private sector corporations, civil society groups and NGOs,
to promote circular economy principles and seek solutions to marine plastic pollution. The projectworks to support market-based solutions, enhance science, raise awareness and promote
behavioural change towards less plastic wasted in South-East Asia.
Rethinking Plastics
The project “Rethinking Plastics - Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter” supports thetransition towards a circular economy for plastics to reduce plastic waste leakage into the sea
and thus marine litter.
It is based on the cooperation between the European Union (EU) and seven countries in East andSouth-East Asia and is well-aligned with regional and national efforts and initiatives to reduce
marine plastic waste. Jointly with its partners, the project works on improving the management ofplastic waste, encouraging sustainable consumption and production of plastic as well as
reducing litter from sea-based sources and strengthening green public procurement.
The project is co-funded by the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany throughthe German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is jointly
implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and ExpertiseFrance.
Promoting responsible supply chains in Asia
This event is supported by the Responsible Supply Chains in Asia (RSCA) programme 4 which is
implemented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) andInternational Labour Organization (ILO) and with funding from the European Union. The RSCA programmeaims to promote respect for human rights, including labour rights, and responsible business standards inglobal supply chains.
This programme is carried out in partnership with Japan (an OECD and ILO member) and five partner
economies, namely China, Thailand, Viet Nam, Philippines, and Myanmar (also ILO members).

4 The Responsible Supply Chains in Asia programme. OECD.

http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/globalpartnerships/responsible-supply-chains-asia

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