To date, a lot of focus and commentary on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have been in relation to green finance and ESG investing, as well as the fossil fuel, mining, food and clothing industries. However, the waste sector, by its very nature, has always been close to ESG matters. Waste disposal clearly has a major environmental impact. Compliance with environmental regulation – from permits and licences to the duty of care – is at the heart of most waste businesses. Noise, pest and odour management have brought the sector into close relationships, and sometimes confrontation, with community stakeholders. The transient nature of some workforces has also presented challenges with modern slavery. 

Increased societal concern, driven largely by the growing effects and awareness of pollution and climate change, is bringing closer attention to the supply chains, labour practices and wider impact of corporates across all sectors. Companies’ social licences to operate are under threat. In this new world, the waste industry will come under pressure from three sides: government and regulators, via increased regulation and enhanced enforcement; media scrutiny and the demands of civil society; and customers, through contractual pressure to meet higher standards than prescribed by law. 

In this article for Circular magazine, Dentons lawyers Laura Mackett and Sam Ahmad explore the disruption that a sharper societal and legal focus on ESG will have on the waste sector and its customers. 

Download the full article here.

Reproduced by kind permission of CIWM and CIWM Enterprises Ltd and originally featured in Circular, January/February 2020. Visit here for the latest industry news and opinions and to sample an issue of Circular.