Every year, 16 million people make a living by sifting through garbage to sort metals, plastics, carboards and other recyclables. A study looked at five cities in developing countries and found that for 65% of waste pickers, this job represents their main source of household income. These workers are key actors in the circular economy, and yet waste pickers often work in underpaid, informal and unsafe conditions. Given the key role waste pickers play in the recycling supply chain, Danone is focusing its efforts on helping them to move into the formal economy, where their basic rights can be protected.
Countries that lack formal waste disposal and recycling systems often rely on waste pickers (a term that was adopted at a world conference in Bogota, Colombia in 2008) to form a key link in the economy: more than 3/4 of waste pickers sell to formal businesses, while a quarter supply materials to the general public. Their efforts are critical in supporting the recycling stream, recovering roughly 20% of all waste material in cities in developing countries, that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Unfortunately, working outside of the formal economy means that many of the waste pickers lack social status and labor protections. In countries like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and Ghana, Danone Ecosystem is assisting the creation and development of worker cooperatives that can oversee the process of collecting, sorting, and selling plastics directly to recycling plants.
Supporting waste pickers in all corners of the world
“The cooperatives allow waste pickers to receive training
and to secure fair wages, thereby improving working and living
conditions,” said Danone’s Chairman and CEO, Emmanuel Faber. “We
consider that defending human dignity at work and fighting against
forced labor is fundamental to our commitment to do business in a
sustainable manner, while protecting both the health of people and that
of our planet.”
In Ghana, the ‘Pick it!’
project aims to improve both recycling rates and the living conditions
of waste pickers. Fan Milk, Danone’s subsidiary in Ghana, co-designed
Pick-it! with the local and national government, the MIT’s D-Lab,
Environment 360° and WIEGO. Pick-it! aims to develop an inclusive
recycling system that improves waste pickers’ working conditions while
at the same time increases the recycling rates of plastics and reduces
the risks of plastic pollution and clogging. So far, it has empowered
242 waste pickers that are working in the newly-created sorting center.
In Brazil, Danone Ecosystem supported project called ‘Novo Ciclo’
seeks to professionalize waste pickers through the creation of waste
management centers and the consolidation of cooperatives in different
regions of the country. The project offers management training to
empower waste pickers to run their own business independently.
As well as consolidating existing jobs, Novo Ciclo creates new ones
in a safer working environment. It raises awareness about both the
importance of waste management and conditions for waste pickers. At the
same time, Danone Brazil develops its rPET and second life polystyrene
industry – the material from which yogurt cups are made – through the
development of sustainable waste management practices.
Likewise, Indonesia is facing severe environmental threats with
plastic leaking into the environment, so the government is putting
greater responsibility on companies to collect their waste. Danone AQUA
has taken action last summer with the launch of its Plastic Pledge – a
series of commitments aimed at fostering a new culture of recycling and
environmental responsibility in Indonesia, with concrete actions taken
for plastic waste collection and reuse. Danone Ecosystem and its local
partners are key in helping drive this movement as they aim to organize
recycling circuits and empowering waste pickers. Through the fund,
recycling units are also built and managed by waste pickers. The project
is simultaneously serving the circular economy and promoting
sustainable development for workers, granting them access to health
services and better labor conditions.