Social Life Cycle Assessment of Plastic Production: Towards Sustainable Practices in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT The plastic manufacturing sector in Bangladesh is an important contributor to the national economy, providing employment to over 1.5 million people and contributing 2–3% to GDP. But its dependence on fossil fuel-derived plastics creates formidable social and environmental problems, such as poverty wages, dangerous working conditions, and toxic pollution. This research develops a Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) framework to assess impacts of workers, communities and society, using national statistics, industry information and stakeholder perspectives. The findings indicate that over a third of workers work in excess of the legally permitted weekly hours, and there are increased risks of fatigue and accidents. Workplace deaths are sky-high, the rate of unionization pathetic, and the ability to collectively bargain scant. Child labor still occurs, especially in informal recycling and waste picking, and employment in the sector is largely informal and unregulated. Near major industrial hubs, communities face significant health risks from air and water pollution, and air quality in Dhaka ranks among the world’s worst. Meanwhile, the industry is also a major job provider and foreign exchange earner, highlighting its twin status as an economic engine and a hotspot for social risk. The research also considers long-term substitutes. Jute-plastics, which can be supported on the basis of the abundant, locally available resource base in Bangladesh, should provide biodegradable solutions with potential for creating rural employment. Bioplastics offer potential too, but costs and infrastructure are currently a challenge for scaling them up. To facilitate a sustainable shift, the research suggests the need for living wages, greater safety compliance, recycling formalization through producer responsibility, and enforcing mandatory social impact reporting. Steps like these, consistent with the SDGs, are necessary to ensure that Bangladesh grows in a way that is both economically viable and socially and environmentally responsible.