6. S (ctd) - Social Impact and the Impact Code

At the heart of impact creation lies intersectionality. The plastic waste crisis is not just an environmental disaster, it also profoundly affects people. And it disproportionately affects people in poorer countries, and more marginalized members of society.

That means when it comes to solution implementation - ‘S’ - we need to solve humanitarian aspects of the plastic crisis too. With uplifting lives as part of our purpose, rePurpose Global has developed a comprehensive protocol, the Impact Code (IC), to take action on the humanitarian side of the plastic crisis.

The IC is aimed at elevating social security standards across the waste recovery sector. It sets out ways for improving working conditions and ensuring adherence to international labor norms. This applies to all actors in the waste value chain, including informal and formal waste workers.

The IC draws from globally acknowledged standards and best practices, and was crafted in alignment with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. It goes beyond legal compliance to set out ethical expectations on a global scale. The IC's key principles include:

1. Social Responsibility and Safeguards: Prioritizing the socio-economic well-being of waste worker communities, upholding human rights, and promoting equality of opportunity; while ensuring projects do not negatively disrupt existing social and economic structures.
2. Environmental Responsibility: Commitment to minimizing environmental footprint and protecting the environment.
3. Business Integrity and Ethics: Upholding ethical conduct across all operations, requiring integrity in business relationships, sourcing, and operations.

It is all well and good having a document that sets high standards. Implementing and maintaining those standards is ongoing work. rePurpose Global does this for all impact projects by working with partners and providing ongoing support and handholding, including on documentation processes. Top-up training on the iC happens at annual ‘bootcamps’ for impact partners.Projects are expected to achieve a minimum of 85% adherence to the code. rePurpose supports implementation and chances of meeting this target by offering templated policy documents, financing training and capacity-building programs, and funding physical infrastructure to ensure safe workspaces. Robust monitoring programs ensure ongoing accountability – through first and third-party audits.

Through the IC, rePurpose Global is driving impactful change in the waste management sector, and also promoting social justice.

Today the IC applies to projects on 4 continents, and directly impacts the lives of over 2000 waste workers worldwide.