CleanHub: Explained and how it benefits you.

CleanHub’s social impact is more solid than plastic.  

Historically the plastic waste industry has had many small and informal players, with many people working in this “dirty” sector being marginalized and poorly treated by society. CleanHub aims to respect the dignity of people working along waste streams in the regions of the global south where these green tech startups operate.

Being committed to the social justice needed alongside environmental protection, the company influences and helps fund social change, through partnering that local waste management partners pay fairer wages to some of the lowest paid, legally due health and other social insurances, and stable work formality in safer workplaces.

CleanHub prides itself on doing robust honest work, investing in deep worker human rights conditions assessment baselines then ongoingly engaging to drive real social impacts (e.g. to SDG 8 for Decent Work). In helping improve waste worker livelihoods we help our partners actively help remove social bias historically associated with waste collection and processing activities, and deliver improved livelihoods.

When you buy from a company, like Tangie, who is giving profits towards the ethical treatment of workers while helping to keep plastic waste from entering the oceans, you can feel good about the purchased you make that help clean your home, your body or your pet while keeping the flow going in the right direction!

How this benefits you.

When people are treated equally for pay, have safe work places and can chance for improvement in their lives, our global society becomes a better place.  When the planet has less trash floating in it and our water sources are cleaner, you have a healthier future ahead. These changes are beneficial ripples that reach far into the generations ahead of you.

CleanHub’s process to manage waste with dignity

In most developing countries, formal and informal waste management systems co-exist. While formal systems are governed by labor laws and have worker benefits and safety protocols, informal systems have historically been characterized by worker exploitation, and a lack of labor laws, and safety protocols.

Cleanhub guides their partners on the ground towards compliance with their international industry standard Code of Conduct that was built on fundamental UN ILO Conventions (International Labour Organisation) as summarized by three leading international worker rights non-profits, and informs our commitment to using our buying engagement power to influence respect for human rights:

1. The UK Ethical Trade Initiative’s Base Code, created by trade unions, non-profits, and businesses together, and which in particular requires respect
   for workers’ human rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and real living wages.
2. The Social Accountability International’s SA8000 Code which in addition to the above guides for good social management systems
3. The USA’s Fair Labor Association which is also strong on safety guidance.

CleanHub is proud to have been influencing improvements to more and more partner sites. We work to influence that if any workers were not paid all legal minimum wage rates (sometimes an issue at very small sites before our partnership begins) then this is improved, that all social insurances are eventually paid, that workers are given proper contracts, policies improved to respect worker rights and that holistic safety improvements are made onsites.

Small improvements like these can make a massive difference in the livelihoods of waste collectors and sorters, who are often women, parents, or marginalized youth. Ensuring people are paid legal minimum wages and all benefits and have proper contracts and registration in government social security systems is better than charity: it’s about dignity, empowerment, and fairer chances for all.

Independent worker rights

CleanHub’s social assessments and engagement are led by experienced independent worker rights focused local experts. The site Social Assessors and
standards advisors CleanHub has commissioned have worked in and with: 

• ILO Better Work program 
• Human Rights Watch 
• The Ethical Trading Initiative 
• HERProject 
• The World Bank  
• plus smaller worker welfare organizations like Handshake.  

They have deep experience with the issue of falsification of wages and hours records in the industry of “social audit” of large apparel and other manufacturing sites.  Whilst less risk in the waste sector, Social Audit visits are nevertheless therefore designed carefully towards gaining transparency and around helping our Supplier Partners improve with Coaching so that they stay honest about their challenges before and while working with CleanHub. 

Tangie is a proud partner of CleanHub and the work they do to improve and establish local waste management facilities around the globe to keep ocean bound plastic waste from ever entering our shared oceans.  

Reducing waste is important but taking care of people and their work conditions is the highest priority. Read more about that HERE.