Resources

Case studies

This report examines the aspects of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) in Peru’s plastic value chain, highlighting the disproportionate impact of plastic pollution on select groups, including women, informal waste workers, and rural communities. It reveals systemic inequities in waste management and proposes a set of recommendations to support the livelihoods of these communities. This includes interventions such as formalizing the employment of waste workers, expanding inclusive waste management programs, integrating gender-sensitive policies, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration for an inclusive transition of the plastics economy in Peru.
Just Transition, Materials
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Analysis of the Plastic Value Chain in Peru - Executive Summary (English)
This report examines the aspects of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) in Peru’s plastic value chain, highlighting the disproportionate impact of plastic pollution on select groups, including women, informal waste workers, and rural communities. It reveals systemic inequities in waste management and proposes a set of recommendations to support the livelihoods of these communities. This includes interventions such as formalizing the employment of waste workers, expanding inclusive waste management programs, integrating gender-sensitive policies, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration for an inclusive transition of the plastics economy in Peru.
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Analysis of the Plastic Value Chain in Peru - Executive Summary (Spanish)
This report examines the aspects of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) in Peru’s plastic value chain, highlighting the disproportionate impact of plastic pollution on select groups, including women, informal waste workers, and rural communities. It reveals systemic inequities in waste management and proposes a set of recommendations to support the livelihoods of these communities. This includes interventions such as formalizing the employment of waste workers, expanding inclusive waste management programs, integrating gender-sensitive policies, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration for an inclusive transition of the plastics economy in Peru.
Just Transition, Materials
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Analysis of the Plastic Value Chain in Peru - Full Report (English)
This report examines the aspects of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) in Peru’s plastic value chain, highlighting the disproportionate impact of plastic pollution on select groups, including women, informal waste workers, and rural communities. It reveals systemic inequities in waste management and proposes a set of recommendations to support the livelihoods of these communities. This includes interventions such as formalizing the employment of waste workers, expanding inclusive waste management programs, integrating gender-sensitive policies, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration for an inclusive transition of the plastics economy in Peru.
Just Transition, Materials
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Analysis of the Plastic Value Chain in Peru - Full Report (Spanish)
The Executive Summary of the Panama Plastic Action Roadmap provides a clear and comprehensive overview of Panama's plastic value chain, outlining key actions required to achieve a substantial reduction in plastic pollution.The document is based on three critical analyses: the Baseline Analysis, the Scenario Modeling, and the Social Context Analysis.As a strategic guide, it offers a roadmap for stakeholders across the value chain, paving the way for transformative actions aimed at combating plastic pollution and advancing towards a sustainable, circular economy in Panama.This roadmap was developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment of Panama, through a participatory process that engaged over 80 organizations from various sectors, and was validated through a public consultation.
Government, Just Transition, Materials
Panama National Plastic Action Roadmap - Executive Summary
ContextInformal waste workers in Vietnam play a crucial role in the country’s waste management system, contributing significantly to recycling and reducing environmental pollution. Despite their essential contributions, they often face unsafe working conditions, limited access to protective equipment, and exposure to hazardous materials, posing serious health and safety risks. Capacity-building programs are needed to equip them with knowledge about waste sorting, recycling technologies, and best practices to enhance efficiency and sustainability in their work. Gender equality is also a critical issue, as many women in this sector face double burdens, balancing demanding work with family responsibilities, and often experience unequal pay or opportunities. Providing support in health, safety, and skill development while promoting gender-inclusive policies can help empower these workers and ensure their essential role is recognized and valued in Vietnam’s waste management system. ActionVietCycle is a leading waste management company in Vietnam, specializing in the collection, sorting, and recycling of plastic waste. With over two decades of expertise, the company is pioneering establishing a closed-loop system and a vast network of informal waste workers (IWWs) to promote a circular economy.  VietCycle's strategy focuses on leveraging the existing informal labor force, including female waste workers and craft village workers. Currently, VietCycle collaborates with over 7,500 IWWs, more than 500 junk shops, and nearly 30 recycling facilities nationwide. This strategy not only improves environmental practices but also enhances the livelihoods of these workers and recognizes their crucial role in waste management, transforming informal recycling activities. Through this project, VietCycle received financial support of 35.000USD and technical support from GPAP to empower IWWs, focusing on:·      Technical Skills in Waste Management: Training on effective collection, sorting, and recycling techniques.·      Market-Based Pricing Knowledge: Educating IWWs on how to price recyclables based on market trends.·      Basic Financial Skills: Providing financial literacy training tailored to small households.·      Communication Skills: Enhancing interpersonal and negotiation skills.·      Health & Safety Knowledge: Promoting safe working practices and awareness of health risks.·      Attitudes and Self-Confidence: Empowering IWWs to recognize their contributions and improve self-esteem. ImpactIn progress - The project has been kicked off and the first capacity building activity has been conducted in early December.
Just Transition
Green Warriors Empowerment Project
ContextOne of the key recommendations of Ghana’s Roadmap for Radical Reduction of Plastic Pollution (2021)4 is to promote inclusion. This means that the work of the GH-NPAP must be responsive to the needs and obstacles faced by marginalized communities. Such communities include persons with disabilities, those living in poverty, women, ethnically marginalized populations, migrants, elderly, youth, children/child pickers and the community. Results from the Intersectional and Inclusive Social Context Assessment of Ghana’s Informal Plastics and Plastics Waste Sector study across 6 regions revealed that about 15% of waste pickers were children between the ages of 5-12, with the Northern Region having about 80% of its total waste pickers being children. This has a higher negative implication on school attendance and general health such as visible skin infections, diarrhea, coughing and runny nose. About 80% of the respondents that fell within the children’s category were not in school. Only 20% of child pickers went to school, but not consistently. The assessment found about 40% of the child pickers to be the breadwinners of their families as their parents or caregivers are not working. Other children on the landfills were either accompanying their parents or sent by their external relatives they live with or on their own decision. The study also highlighted that child pickers were mostly faced with challenges such as Physical injuries/deaths Additionally, even though there are supposed to be standard prices at the regional landfills which differ from region to region, women, elderly, and child pickers get less for their materials due to scale adjustment. The Intersectional and Inclusive Social Context Assessment of Ghana’s Informal Plastics and Plastics Waste Sector report thus called for close collaboration between relevant stakeholders such as traditional authorities, the Social Welfare Department under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and other relevant stakeholders revamp child protection committees at the community level or (at the least) in communities with a high rate of child waste pickers.ActionThe Department of Social Welfare a Government statutory Agency under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) was one of the key stakeholders that was invited and participated in the Launch of the Intersectional and Inclusive Social Context Assessment of Ghana’s Informal Plastics and Plastics Waste Sector report in May 2024. The representatives of the Department of Social Welfare following the launch event which afforded them the visibility into this issue have undertaken steps to ensure that the issue of child pickers is captured as one of the protection concerns in Social Welfare Information Management System (SWIMS)ResultCapturing the issue of child pickers as a national protection concern in the Social Welfare Information Management System (SWIMS) will ensure that Officers at the various line of work that is from the grass root( District Social Welfare case workers at the MMDA's) to the top(Regional Social Welfare Case Managers, the National Case Manager and the National Administrator at the Ministry) report on them for various interventions in our social protection programs such as LEAP
Just Transition
Addressing the Issue of Child Pickers in Ghana
ContextThe Viet Nam's 2020 Environmental Protection Law (LEP) supplements new provisions related to waste management towards a circular economy and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy. The implementation of EPR mechanisms is predicted to bring about significant changes in the waste management system, particularly impacting the informal waste workers (IWWs) in the collection and recycling of waste. This group may be significantly affected by these mechanisms as EPR primarily involves the participation of businesses in waste collection, recycling, and processing of plastic waste in the formal sector. Therefore, interventions in planning and policy enforcement are crucial to not only ensure their livelihoods but also enable them to access, connect, and benefit from EPR policies. ActionViet Nam National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) - Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Task Force, in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through the IUCN - PRO Vietnam Strategic Partnership Program, and the National EPR Office, organized a consultation workshop on "The Role of the Informal Waste Workers in Solid Waste Management and Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)" with the objective:1.    Acknowledge the role and significance of the informal waste workers in waste collection and recycling activities;2.    Explore mechanisms and solutions for the informal waste workers to carry out collection activities for licensed recycling companies in accordance with EPR regulations;3.    Discuss policy recommendations on just transition for informal sector in Viet NamImpact The workshop gained significant attention and active participation from key partners in the plastic sector. By its conclusion, a joint policy brief titled "The Role of Informal Waste Workers in Solid Waste Management and the Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)" was collaboratively developed and shared with members of the GESI Task Force.
Just Transition
EPR Workshop on the Role of Informal Waste Workers in Viet Nam
ContextUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced the “Inclusive Circular Economy” project on 23rd January 2023 and implemented an end-to-end plastic waste management system in several wards of Mumbai City by promoting source segregation and by setting up Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) centers (HUL, 2023). Challenges Addressed• Ineffective plastic waste collection in different wards of Mumbai• Social exclusion and economic vulnerability faced by informal waste pickers.Inadequate Material Recovery Facilities for segregation of all kinds of plastic waste along the value chain. Actions Taken• Established four Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in various wards of Mumbai City as part of an end-to-end plastic waste management system, promoting source segregation and further sending it for efficient recycling practices,• Surveyed more than 9,000 Safai Sathis (waste pickers), which highlighted the need for formalization of waste workers, skill development opportunities, education opportunities for their children, and alternate livelihoods.• Initiatives underway to scale up the program to reach out to 100,000 households. Impact Achieved• To date, the partnership has diverted 8,000 metric tons of plastic waste from landfills,• Connected with 3,300 Safai Saathis; 3 out of 4 safai saathis were women.• Social inclusion of waste pickers with successful connection with various government welfare schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, SHRAM card, and Jan Dhan account.
Just Transition
Inclusive Circular Economy Project in Mumbai
“The Plastic Reborn” program aims to build a community of 12,700 scrap collectors, a plastic waste collection and recycling system with a capacity of 80,000 tons per year, reducing emissions to 152 – 454 tons carbon into the environment every year by 2025. The program also contributes to promoting waste sorting at source in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and other provinces nationwide. The program is honored to accompany Unilever, AEPW, and IUCN and get the response of international organizations such as UNDP, WWF, YOUNUS, NPAP to support and enhance the quality of life for disadvantaged female collectors in the collection system with the hope that they will receive honor and recognition as a major force in environmental protection. Over the years, the program has supported female collectors with cleaning products, tools, and personal protective equipment and is making efforts to call for regulatory authorities and international organizations to join hands to deliver the favorable social security policy for them including health insurance, social insurance, etc., and improve their health and career awareness. We understand that this is a challenging and unstable profession, but it has a positive impact on the environment. Unilever has and will continue to support female waste collectors with safe and hygienic protective gear and training, while also helping to improve their livelihoods. This ensures they are well-prepared to contribute to the growth of Vietnam’s recycling industry VietCycle received funding from GPAP for a project focused on training, capacity building, and social welfare for informal waste collectors—the majority of whom are women. The project aims to enhance the skills of informal waste collectors (IWWs). With proper knowledge, the women working in this field will feel more confident and safer in their work. The programme aims to build the capacity of (IWWs) by focusing on: Technical Skills in Waste Management: Training on effective collection, sorting, and recycling techniques. Market-Based Pricing Knowledge: Educating IWWs on how to price recyclables based on market trends. Basic Financial Skills: Providing financial literacy training tailored to small households. Communication Skills: Enhancing interpersonal and negotiation skills. Health & Safety Knowledge: Promoting safe working practices and awareness of health risks. Attitudes and Self-Confidence: Empowering IWWs to recognize their contributions and improve self-esteem. 
Just Transition
The Plastic Reborn Program
The Maharashtra Plastic Action Roadmap introduces the interventions required in Maharashtra to achieve system change, showing how plastic consumption can be reduced and waste management improved. The system-change scenario was modelled using secondary research, stakeholder feedback and insights obtained from several stakeholders’ consultations.This roadmap lays the foundation for action, setting out strategic interventions that will support Maharashtra in achieving plastics circularity. The interventions cover the five areas of the plastic value chain that were used to model the system change scenario: reduce and substitute, redesign for recycling, collection and sorting, recycling, and safe disposal.The success of these interventions requires action across seven thematic areas which are: policy and regulation, infrastructure development, technology and innovation, financing and incentivization, collaboration and partnership, behaviour transformation and promoting inclusivity.
Just Transition, Materials
Journey Towards a Circular Plastic Economy: Maharashtra Plastic Action Roadmap
The Maharashtra Plastic Action Roadmap introduces the interventions required in Maharashtra to achieve system change, showing how plastic consumption can be reduced and waste management improved. The system-change scenario was modelled using secondary research, stakeholder feedback and insights obtained from several stakeholders’ consultations.This roadmap lays the foundation for action, setting out strategic interventions that will support Maharashtra in achieving plastics circularity. The interventions cover the five areas of the plastic value chain that were used to model the system change scenario: reduce and substitute, redesign for recycling, collection and sorting, recycling, and safe disposal.The success of these interventions requires action across seven thematic areas which are: policy and regulation, infrastructure development, technology and innovation, financing and incentivization, collaboration and partnership, behaviour transformation and promoting inclusivity.
Just Transition, Materials
Journey Towards a Circular Plastic Economy: Maharashtra Plastic Action Roadmap Executive Summary
Climate risks are no longer a distant threat; they are unfolding now, disrupting industries worldwide. Climate-related disasters have inflicted over $3.6 trillion in damage since 2000, with risks accelerating. For businesses, physical risks like extreme weather events and transition risks such as rising carbon pricing are already transforming markets and reshaping business models.
The Cost of Inaction: A CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk
This case study analyzes Panama's plastic value chain, highlights efforts towards plastics circularity, and explores how trade policy can support this transition. Developed through insights from a multistakeholder community under the World Economic Forum and the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), it proposes actionable policy options to foster dialogue in Panama and the Central American Common Market. This study advances discussions on the role of trade in achieving a circular plastics economy, emphasizing collaboration and innovation to address global plastic challenges.
Other, Just Transition, Materials
Estudio de Caso de Comercio en Panamá
This case study analyzes Panama's plastic value chain, highlights efforts towards plastics circularity, and explores how trade policy can support this transition. Developed through insights from a multistakeholder community under the World Economic Forum and the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), it proposes actionable policy options to foster dialogue in Panama and the Central American Common Market. This study advances discussions on the role of trade in achieving a circular plastics economy, emphasizing collaboration and innovation to address global plastic challenges.
Other, Just Transition, Materials
Panama Trade Case Study
The Pakistan National Action Roadmap offers a comprehensive analysis of the country's plastic ecosystem, emphasizing key challenges such as waste generation, mismanagement, and environmental leakage. Serving as a strategic blueprint, the roadmap outlines targeted interventions for stakeholders across sectors to drive meaningful action toward a circular plastics economy.
Pakistan National Action Roadmap to Reduce Plastic Pollution
The Nigeria National Action Roadmap assesses the country's plastic ecosystem, focusing on the generation, management, and environmental leakage of plastic waste. It also explores future scenarios up to 2040: a business-as-usual scenario, which predicts a continuous rise in plastic pollution, and a system-change scenario, which envisions comprehensive and ambitious interventions throughout the entire plastics value chain. This latter approach emphasizes synergies between upstream and downstream solutions to enhance the circularity of Nigeria’s plastic system, aiming to significantly reduce plastic pollution.Developed with contributions from a wide range of stakeholders, including government, industry, recyclers, academia, and civil society, the report provides actionable recommendations. Led by a team of experts, was presented at the Ministry of Environment, Federal Republic of Nigeria, on October 17, 2024.
Nigeria National Plastic Action Roadmap
As we are getting closer to the final round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty, the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), hosted by the World Economic Forum, continues its mission to transform commitments into real-world solutions that address plastic pollution effectively. In 2024, GPAP expanded its network to 19 country partnerships, deepening the collaborative efforts with governments, businesses, civil society, and marginalized communities. This Annual Report highlights GPAP’s enduring commitment to advancing a circular economy and celebrates its achievements across key areas including gender equality, finance, innovation, policy, and behavioral change, both nationally and globally.
Just Transition, Materials
GPAP Annual Report 2024
The Mexico City Action Roadmap evaluates the plastic ecosystem, focusing on plastic waste generation, management, and environmental leakage. It also projects future scenarios up to 2040: a business-as-usual scenario, which predicts continued growth in plastic pollution, and a system-change scenario, which envisions comprehensive and ambitious interventions across the entire plastics value chain. The latter scenario leverages synergies between upstream and downstream measures to enhance the circularity of Mexico City's plastic system, significantly reducing plastic pollution.Developed with input from diverse stakeholders including government, industry, recyclers, academia, and civil society, the report offers actionable recommendations.
Just Transition, Materials
Mexico City Action Roadmap
The Nigeria National Action Roadmap assesses the country's plastic ecosystem, focusing on the generation, management, and environmental leakage of plastic waste. It also explores future scenarios up to 2040: a business-as-usual scenario, which predicts a continuous rise in plastic pollution, and a system-change scenario, which envisions comprehensive and ambitious interventions throughout the entire plastics value chain. This latter approach emphasizes synergies between upstream and downstream solutions to enhance the circularity of Nigeria’s plastic system, aiming to significantly reduce plastic pollution.Developed with contributions from a wide range of stakeholders, including government, industry, recyclers, academia, and civil society, the report provides actionable recommendations. Led by a team of experts, was presented at the Ministry of Environment, Federal Republic of Nigeria, on October 17, 2024.
Executive Summary of the Nigeria National Action Roadmap

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