Is work soluble in sustainable developpment ?

This paper aims to examine the tensions between the discourses on sustainable development, protection of the environment and preservation of natural resources on the one hand and on the other, working conditions of employees in the “green” economy. First, we would like to show the employment growth in the environmental sector including the rise of green jobs expected to respond to the environmental challenges by skilled labour.In a second step, we will indicate the centrality of waste management for green jobs. Waste management industry is emblematic of its importance, its organizational structure and its evolution over time. Third, we will develop in relation to waste, the most labour intensive activity which is “sorting”. Sorting and sorters are indeed the heart of economic activity that drives the waste managment industries. Here we will mobilize field observations to indicate the difficulties experienced by employees at the workplace. Finally, we shall examine the elements needed to initiate a discussion on the possibility of improving the working conditions of these employees. Here we are focussing on the social dialogue in the business, the relationship between unions and management but also the weight of public policies and the consumers.In this final section, we would like to outline potential trade-offs between economic, social and envrionmental logics in order to integrate the well-being of workers as a dimension of the measurement of sustainable development.