While industrial recycling is squarely situated in the formal sector of the economy, the upstream segments of the recycling supply chain may reach deep into the informal sector, intersecting with the centuries-old occupation of waste picking. In many countries, informal waste pickers play a crucial role in waste collection, including the collection, sorting and resale of recyclable materials. The positive contribution of informal waste pickers to urban solid waste management from an environmental and economic perspective is well documented, as have the poor working conditions faced by waste pickers, and the harmful consequences of these for workers’ health and safety. Inadequate income and social marginalization are common, along with other associated social ills such as child labour, which occurs in landfills, in waste collection and sorting.
From the late 1970’s, China's economy has enjoyed 30 years of explosive growth. With its 1.4 billion inhabitants, it is now the world's largest economy. This economic miracle, now on everyone's lips, has lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out ...Read More
In Nicaragua, coffee is mainly produced on small-scale farms where temporary or seasonal work, weak remuneration, subcontracting, migrant workers, and child labor are likely to exist. In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activitie...Read More
In July 2015, Human Rights Watch interviewed 26 children, ages 16 and 17, who worked on tobacco farms in North Carolina that summer. Almost all of the children inter- viewed—25 out of 26—said they experienced sickness, pain, and discomfort while...Read More
Violence and harassment at work causes harm to individuals, families, businesses and societies. It affects people’s lives, dignity, health and wellbeing. It also exacerbates inequality in societies and undermines business productivity. There shoul...Read More
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