HEJSupport, SSNC and groundWorkSA in partnership with 12 NGOs from different countries and regions, submitted their input on plastic and human rights to the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.
Plastic pollution is not only an environmental crisis — it is a human rights issue across the full lifecycle of plastics.
The UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee is currently preparing a study on the implications of plastic pollution for the full enjoyment of human rights, following Human Rights Council decision 56/117. The study will examine the impacts associated with the production, use, trade, recycling, disposal, and release of plastics and the associated hazardous chemicals.
Communities around the world are already facing the consequences of plastic pollution: toxic chemical exposure, air and water pollution, unsafe waste management, threats to food systems, occupational health risks, and disproportionate impacts on children, Indigenous Peoples, waste workers, and communities living near production and disposal sites.
Importantly, addressing plastic pollution requires a comprehensive lifecycle approach — including transparency about chemicals in plastics, prevention of toxic exposures, protection of environmental defenders, and stronger accountability across value chains.
The Advisory Committee invited submissions from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, human rights institutions, and other stakeholders to help inform the study with evidence, data, best practices, and lived experiences.
Please read the full submission:
