The Cost of Convenience: Plastic Pollution and the Business and Human Rights Agenda

ASIA IN FOCUS

The Cost of Convenience: Plastic pollution and the business and human rights agenda

17:00 MYT | 30 March 2026

Overview

What was once considered a convenience is fast becoming a competitive liability. Across Asia, the convenience of single-use plastics comes at a cost – not only to businesses navigating tightening regulations, but to the millions of people living and working on the frontlines of the plastic pollution crisis. Markets are increasingly rewarding businesses that can demonstrate responsible material use, transparent supply chains, and credible transition strategies — while penalizing those that cannot.

Behind these changing business incentives lies a deeper reality: the externalized costs of plastic production and disposal are increasingly borne by vulnerable communities and informal workers. Waste pickers and communities near disposal and plastic leakage hotspots bear the direct health and livelihood impacts of corporate plastic reliance, while businesses face mounting regulatory, reputational and operational risks as Extended Producer Responsibility schemes expand and the expectations of stakeholders, investors and consumers evolve.

The plastic pollution crisis is a rights issue, with the right to health, and even the right to life affected. An estimated 93 percent of deaths linked to plastic exposure occur in low- and middle-income countries — eight times higher than in wealthier nations. This is not a coincidence. Asia produces over half of the world’s plastic, and a destination for its use.

Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, States must ensure that laws, systems, and oversight protect people from environmental harm — including from waste mismanagement.

The recently launched Asia in Focus episode offers an early look at ‘The Cost of Convenience’, which explores the business and human rights implications of the region’s plastic pollution crisis. Through voices of frontline communities, waste pickers, industry leaders and practitioners, the episode examines how corporate reliance on single-use plastics creates interconnected impacts – undermining the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

The screening will be followed by an interactive fireside chat exploring how business activities directly and materially affect people and communities across the supply chain and how these impact influence business performance, risks and opportunities over time.

The discussion will highlight how environmental and human‑rights challenges are deeply interconnected and why addressing them together is essential for business resilience.

Drawing on real world example, participants will also explore practical tools that can help businesses identify, address, and mitigate their plastic footprint while strengthening competitiveness and long-term business value.

LEARN:

See plastic pollution risk across the value chain: learn how business decisions on packaging, sourcing, and waste management affect workers, waste pickers, and communities – and how these impacts translate into regulatory and reputational exposure.

ENGAGE:

Ground solutions in real-world experience: Hear directly from voice often excluded from boardroom conversations, including informal waste workers, community representatives, and circularity specialists.

CONNECT:

Bridge business strategy and lived realities: Identify opportunities for collaboration, with circular economy innovators, informal worker groups, and industry peers facing similar challenges

SESSION SPEAKERS

BIANCA FERNANDES

Manager – Circular Economy and Institutional Engagement, Hasiru Dala

Bianca has over three years of experience working in the Livelihoods vertical and has been part of the Policy vertical at Hasiru Dala for the past 1.5 years. Her work focuses on advancing the formal integration of waste pickers into Solid Waste Management (SWM) systems through policy and institutional frameworks. She contributes to policy initiatives through research, policy analysis, drafting, and strategic coordination, helping shape approaches that strengthen inclusive, decentralised, and equitable waste governance. Her work supports efforts to ensure that waste pickers are recognised as key stakeholders in urban waste management and are included in policies that promote a just transition towards circular and sustainable waste systems.

DATIN MINA CHEAH FOONG

Managing Director, InNature Group Berhad

Datin Mina Cheah is the Managing Director of InNature Group Berhad, with over 40 years of leadership in retail and the cosmetics industry. She pioneered The Body Shop in Malaysia in 1984, growing her Company into a Main Board Listed entity on Bursa Malaysia. She also serves as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Aquawalk Group Berhad. InNature is a purpose-led enterprise rooted in sustainability and social justice. Recognised by Forbes as one of Asia’s “Heroes of Philanthropy,” Datin Mina embodies courageous leadership from using her business as a force for good to trekking Everest Base Camp and navigating 41 rapids on the Zambezi River.

ANNERIEKE DOUMA

Senior Director of Programs, Circulate Initiative

Annerieke is responsible for driving impact through programs and strategic partnerships at The Circulate Initiative. Annerieke brings more than 20 years of experience in circular economy and human rights, working with businesses and governments. In her role, she ensures that The Circulate Initiative and its partners focus on addressing system gaps to prevent plastic leakage and advance an inclusive, circular economy.
Previously, Annerieke served on the Board of Directors of Circle Economy. While at Circle Economy, she was responsible for incubating and managing several programs, scaling their impact, and directing fundraising efforts. Key programs she led included the Thriving Cities Initiative Doughnut Cities work in collaboration with Kate Raworth (nominated for the Earthshot Prize), and the Jobs, Textiles, and Cities and Regions programs with global partners. After moving to Indonesia, she led waste management projects on remote islands.
Annerieke holds a Master of International Law from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and a Postgraduate Degree in Tropical Forest Landscapes: Conservation, Restoration, and Sustainable Use from Yale University, United States.

JEHAN WAN AZIZ

Rule of Law Lead, UNDP Malaysia

Jehan Wan Aziz is leading UNDP Malaysia’s rule of law work, focusing on human rights, BHR and institutional reform. Jehan was previously with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) where they worked in the area of labour migration and ethical recruitment in global supply chains and has also contributed to various projects in Asia and Africa. Prior to the United Nations, Jehan was attached to the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia.

ASIA IN FOCUS