Women leaders highlight gendered impacts of plastic pollution at International Women’s Day webinar

Plastic pollution is increasingly being recognised not only as an environmental crisis but also as a growing public health challenge with significant social consequences.

As global plastic production continues to rise, researchers and environmental advocates warn that the impacts of plastic contamination are becoming more complex and far-reaching.

Plastics are fundamentally chemical-based materials, often containing mixtures of substances used to strengthen, colour, or stabilise products.

Current research suggests that plastics may contain more than 16,000 different chemicals, at least 4,200 of which are considered highly hazardous.

Scientists have also found microplastics in human lungs, placental tissues, breast milk, blood, and even in blood clots in the heart, brain, and legs, raising concerns about long-term exposure and potential health effects.

These realities formed the backdrop for a high-level webinar organised by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and the Break Free From Plastic Movement (BFFP) Africa network on March 9, 2026, to mark International Women’s Day.

The discussion focused on the gender dimensions of plastic pollution and the critical role women play in advancing sustainable alternatives.

The webinar brought together environmental advocates, researchers, and grassroots leaders from across the GAIA/BFFP Africa network to examine how plastic pollution intersects with gender justice, health, and environmental governance.

Speakers highlighted that while plastic pollution affects entire communities, women and girls often experience its consequences in particularly disproportionate ways.

In many contexts, women carry the burden of caregiving and household management, placing them at the centre of daily interactions with plastic products and waste.

At the same time, women make up a large proportion of workers in informal waste management systems, including collection, sorting, and recycling activities that frequently take place under unsafe conditions.

Speakers noted that these overlapping roles expose women to health risks associated with plastic chemicals and pollution while also placing them on the frontline of efforts to manage the waste crisis.

Azeeza Rangunwala, Africa Coordinator of the Global Green Healthy Hospitals programme at groundWork South Africa, described the health implications as a form of structural harm that unfolds gradually over time.

“The health impacts of plastics on women’s bodies are a form of slow violence; it is a slow violence in the development of cancer, it’s a slow violence of women not being believed about their symptoms, especially when it comes to sexual and reproductive health,” Rangunwala said during the discussion.

Her remarks pointed to a broader concern that environmental exposures are often overlooked in conversations about women’s health, particularly when symptoms are dismissed or poorly understood.

The webinar also examined the presence of plastic-related chemicals in everyday consumer products.

Many personal care items contain ingredients that originate from petrochemical processes or are packaged in plastic materials that may leach harmful substances.

Semia Gharbi, founder and chair of the Association of Environmental Education for Future Generations (AEEFG) and a Goldman Environmental Prize recipient, highlighted how these products can expose women to multiple chemical compounds on a daily basis.

“The average woman uses nine personal care products a day, containing more than 100 unique ingredients, including some that are linked to cancer and reproductive harm. If you don’t know the ingredients, don’t buy the products,” she said.

Beyond highlighting risks, speakers emphasised that women are also central to the development of community-driven solutions addressing plastic pollution.

Across Africa and globally, women have led grassroots initiatives promoting zero-waste practices, including community-based waste collection, sorting systems, and reuse initiatives designed to reduce plastic consumption.

These initiatives often operate at neighbourhood or municipal levels, filling gaps in formal waste management systems while providing livelihoods for workers in the informal recycling economy.

Boniswa Phelani, a Western Cape Provincial Coordination Committee member of the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA), spoke about the daily realities faced by women waste pickers and the multiple responsibilities they carry.

“Beyond the work we do as waste pickers, we are also women with families. Before going out to collect, sort, and sell the waste, we have to ensure our children are prepared for school,” she said.

“We do this work so that our children and society as a whole have a better life. Even on the ground as waste pickers, our roles are gendered. Women do the collection, sorting, and bringing material closer to the truck. Women make up the majority of the informal sector, and yet we are the most marginalised.”

Participants also highlighted the environmental impact of disposable products widely used in daily life, including menstrual products, which contribute significantly to plastic waste streams.

Tening Cissé, partnerships manager at Adansonia. green, noted that a person who menstruates may use thousands of disposable products during their lifetime.

“A person who menstruates uses between 8,000 and 15,000 menstrual products in their lifetime, generating 180 kilograms of waste,” she explained.

“Multinational companies have dominated the market for menstruation products, and these disposable items have left us dependent on a system that fails to account for local needs, particularly in the African context. The transition to more sustainable practices, such as reuse systems, cannot be done without women.”

The conversation also connected local experiences with ongoing international negotiations aimed at establishing a legally binding agreement to address plastic pollution.

Dalia Márquez, co-coordinator of the UNEP Women’s Major Group, emphasised that gender considerations must be integrated into the proposed global plastics treaty to ensure it addresses the needs of those most affected.

“A Global Plastics Treaty that is not gender-responsive will not be effective, and a treaty that is not rights-based will not be just,” Márquez said.

“Our task is not only to negotiate text, but it is also to protect health, dignity, and the future of our communities. Let us choose courage over convenience, science over delay, and justice over compromise. The world is watching. Future generations are counting on us.”

As negotiations around a global plastics treaty continue to evolve, participants in the webinar stressed the importance of centring community voices, particularly those of women who are directly affected by the plastic crisis.

Organisers said the conversation reflects a broader effort within the GAIA and Break Free From Plastic Africa networks to highlight the links between environmental protection, gender equality, and sustainable development.

Through continued advocacy, collaboration, and community-based initiatives, the networks aim to support policies and practices that reduce plastic pollution while ensuring that women’s leadership remains central to building a more sustainable and equitable future.