Report References to occupational exposures cycle of their products, including supply and value chains. Traceability of supply chains and the life cycle of products is essential to identifying human rights abuses linked to the exposure of workers and communities to toxics. Challenges faced by workers exposure • Monitoring and enforcement gaps • Opaque supply chains and the transfer of hazardous work The Special Rapporteur notes that hazardous substances continue to be used in the manufacturing sector and as components of a variety of consumer products, implicating the rights of workers, local communities and consumers, as well as the rights of those who may be exposed to postconsumer waste. Concerns about human rights abuses linked to toxic chemicals have been raised in the context of the electronics sector and the textile, leather and other garment industries. Researchers have also identified a myriad of adverse health impacts linked to toxic chemicals in cosmetics, personal care products, cleaning products, detergents and other household consumer products. • Inadequate standards of protection Retailers are able to demand compliance with human rights from their suppliers upstream to ensure that no community, consumer or worker suffers abuses due to hazardous substances linked to products they sell. Indeed, in response to consumer demands for products free of toxic chemicals and for ethical conduct by businesses, certain retailers are exceeding the standards provided by national and international laws. For example, retailers have prohibited the inclusion of certain chemicals of concern in their products. • Opaque supply chains and the transfer of hazardous work The guidelines for good practices are intended to assist States in ensuring that their laws and other practices are in line with their human rights obligations. In this vein, the Special Rapporteur recommended that States and other stakeholders apply a number of principles, including that: States must ensure that their practices relating to hazardous substances and wastes ensure equality, do not discriminate against any vulnerable group, including children, the poor, workers, persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous peoples, migrants and minorities, and take into account gender-specific risks. • Inadequate standards of protection • Exploitation of those most at risk The importance of the supply and value chain and a lifecycle approach is emphasized in terms of the protection of human rights from toxic exposures. In addition to the pesticide manufacturers, downstream businesses are implicated in the value chain of food and agricultural production in which such hazardous substances are used. For example, according to UNICEF, “exposure to toxic chemicals is likely to be the single greatest health risk to pregnant and nursing workers in the palm oil sector”. Approximately 50 per cent of all consumer products around the world use palm oil, implicating large numbers of consumer product companies. Air pollution is also of grave concern to child, women and older workers as well as local communities. Illnesses related to haze resulting from the clearing of forests and peat lands for palm plantations not only affect workers and communities near plantations, but can have transboundary impacts. Although the burning of forests and the use of certain pesticides are illegal, compliance and enforcement is poor and such practices continue. Other food and agriculture sectors noted as facing challenges in preventing human rights abuses include coffee, cocoa, cotton and tobacco production. A/HRC/39/48 53