ERIA

With main support from Government of Japan, ERIA established the Regional Knowledge Centre of Marine Plastic Debris in October 2019 to support the ASEAN+3 region in its fight against marine plastic pollution. The goals of the Regional Knowledge Centre are:

1. Supporting research and data collection that contributes to science-based policy formulation
2. Gathering and disseminating scientific knowledge to support solution-orientated initiatives and build public awareness
3. Facilitating national and regional capacity-building activities
4. Developing strong collaborative networks and regional partnerships
5. Promoting innovations from the private sector

The activities are aligned with the framework and regional actions under the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States (2021-2025). The website of the Centre can be accessed through this link: https://rkcmpd-eria.org/

■ National Government ■ Business ■ CSO
Name :
Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and Zero Waste Laos (ZWL), ASEAN Member States (AMS), ASEAN Working Groups on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), Chemicals and Waste (AWGCW), and Environmental Education (AWGEE), plastic recyclers, industry stakeholders, and junkshop representatives

The Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), in collaboration with ERIA's Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, launched the Capacity Building Programmeme for Reducing Recycling-Related Marine Plastic Pollution in ASEAN Cities (CaRMPAC) in August 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This initiative aims to prevent recycling-related plastics and resin from leaking into the marine environment by providing targeted training, mentoring, and technical support to ASEAN Member States. CaRMPAC enhances awareness and technical capabilities among key stakeholders, including policymakers, government officials, and recyclers such as factories, aggregators, junk shops, and material recovery facilities (MRFs).
 
CaRMPAC builds on the earlier Prevention of Plastic and Resin Pellet Leakage from Formal and Informal Recycling Factories project (Phase 1, 2022–2023), which assessed the current situation and produced technical guidelines to curb plastic and pellet leakage in cities like Hanoi, Iloilo, Nonthaburi, Manila, Pattaya, and Vientiane. The results, including six assessment reports, five technical guidelines, and one manual, were published in July 2024. Moving into its next phase, CaRMPAC seeks to broaden its impact by delivering training and capacity-building Programmes across 13 cities in seven ASEAN countries—Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Pattaya (Thailand); Iloilo, Davao (Philippines); Vientiane, Luang Prabang (Lao PDR); Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam); Phnom Penh (Cambodia); and Semarang/Bali, Bandung (Indonesia).

More information on the project can be accessed through the following link:
Capacity Building Programmeme for Reducing Recycling Related Marine Plastic Pollution in ASEAN Cities (CaRMPAC) | Our Projects | RKC-MPD

Situation Assessment Report
Vietnam, Hanoi
Philippines, Iloilo and Manila City
Thailand, Nonthaburi and Pattaya
Lao PDR, Viantiane

Technical Guidelines
Vietnam, Hanoi
Philippines, Iloilo and Manila City
Thailand, Pattaya
Lao PDR, Viantiane

Manual

Thailand, Nonthaburi

■ Academia /Educational Institutions
Name :

Implemented in collaboration with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), the Behavioural Insights Application for Plastic Reduction project aimed to explore how choice architecture can nudge consumers away from single-use plastic items toward more sustainable alternatives. Pilot projects were conducted to test the effectiveness of these behavioral nudges in educational institutions, such as universities and schools, in four ASEAN cities: Depok (Indonesia), Quezon City (Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand), and Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam). Based on the results of these pilots, a guidance note and practical toolkit titled “Breaking the Plastic Habit” was developed to help practitioners design and implement behavioral interventions to reduce single-use plastics.
 
In Phase 2, “Expanding the Application of Behavioural Insights to Reduce Single-use Plastic Waste in Cities & Communities,” the project scaled up to six ASEAN countries. This phase aimed to further promote sustainable plastic consumption and assess the effectiveness of behavior-centered interventions in reducing single-use plastic waste at the city and community levels. The project was officially launched on 18 October 2024, with over 100 participants in attendance.
 
More information on the project can be found in this webpage:
https://rkcmpd-eria.org/our-project/behavioural-insights-application-for-plastic-reduction.

Breaking the Plastic Habit: A Guidance Note and Practical Toolkit

■ National Government ■ City Government ■ CSO
■ Academia /Educational Institutions ■ Others i.e. the public
Name :
Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry

The Pilot Project of Floating and Drifted Marine Plastics in Mangrove, implemented in partnership with JAPAN NUS (JANUS), aims to contribute to the conservation of mangroves and marine environment through successful mobilizations of local communities to engage in clean-up activities in Indonesia. The project’s main pillars are the following:

1. Survey the characteristics of plastic debris in the selected mangrove sites.
2. Raise public awareness about the impact of plastic waste on mangroves based on the survey results.
3. Develop guidelines for clean-up activities and plastic waste survey methodologies in mangroves.
4. Disseminate lessons learned and good practices on a national level.

This project is implemented in two sites, namely Deli Serdang in North Sumatra and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan. With the implementation period from December 2022 to March 2025, the expected outcome of this project was the establishment of a model system for regular and long-term clean-up activities at project sites in Indonesia. The project’s findings were consolidated into two practical knowledge tools: Guidelines for Marine Litter Surveys in Mangroves and Guidelines for Marine Litter Clean-Up Activities in Mangrove Areas. These resources provide valuable insights into the long-term management of plastic waste in natural ecosystems.

A consultation and dissemination workshop were also held on 7 November 2024 to engage stakeholders in mangrove conservation efforts. The semi-closed event welcomed 22 in-person and 58 online participants, including representatives from local government agencies from Balikpapan Municipality, Deli Serdang Regency, academic institutions, NGOs, and key stakeholders such as Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment, Japan’s Ministry of Environment, the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

More information on the project can be accessed through the following link:
https://rkcmpd-eria.org/our-project/pilot-project-of-floating-and-drifted-marine-plastics-in-mangrove.

The Private Sector Seminar Series is a regular event organized by ERIA RKC-MPD that aims to highlight and promote private companies with positive business initiatives to reduce plastic waste in ASEAN+3 region. From 2021 to 2025, a total of ten (10) Private Sector Seminar events have been held, providing a platform for businesses to showcase their initiatives and engage in discussions with stakeholders from governments to civil society organizations. These seminars have been organized at both regional and national levels in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Lao PDR, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam, covering topics such as plastic waste reduction, plastic circularity, and extended producer responsibility. Each event has drawn over 100 participants, including attendees from beyond the ASEAN region.

More information on the project can be found in this webpage:
https://rkcmpd-eria.org/private-sector-platform

Past events page:
Regional private sector event (2021)
Indonesia (2021)
Malaysia (2021)
Thailand (2022)
Viet Nam (2022)
Cambodia (2022)
The Philippines (2023)
Lao PDR (2023)
Singapore (2024)
Brunei Darussalam (2024)
Myanmar (2025)

■ National Government
■ Others: National Multistakeholders
Name :
Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP Indonesia), Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (CMMAI), Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF), UNDP Lao PDR, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) of Lao PDR

The ASEAN Conference on Combating Plastic Pollution (ACCPP) is an annual regional event organized in collaboration with the Chairs of ASEAN. The aim of the conference is to provide a platform for stakeholders across Southeast Asia to come together to exchange knowledge and experiences, explore potential collaborations, and discuss enabling conditions for further efforts in addressing plastic pollution in the region.

The first ACCPP was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17th October 2023 by ERIA in collaboration with the NPAP Indonesia, CMMAI, and the MoEF. The conference took the theme of “Enhanced Synergies and Collaborative Actions to Combatting Plastic Pollution, including to the Marine Environment”. Approximately 300 participants, both in-person and online, participated in the first ACCPP. At the end of the conference, the results from the discussions were summarized into five high-level recommendations which ERIA was then tasked to further develop into a document. The final report of the ACCPP 2023, which includes concrete and actionable recommendations developed from the results of the conference, can be accessed here: ACCPP 2023 Report.

In the following year, from 28th to 29th October 2024, the MoNRE of Lao PDR in collaboration with ERIA and UNDP Lao PDR hosted the second ACCPP in Vientiane. Under the theme ‘Action, Innovation, and Partnership to Phase Out Plastic Pollution,’ the 2-day event focused on partnerships and innovation on the first day, with the second day dedicated to actions and solutions. With more than 200 participants, the conference's discussions were organised into sessions covering key topics on plastic pollution, including regional collaborations, the global plastic treaty, extended producer responsibility (EPR), informal waste workers, and behavioural change – issues that are currently central to the plastic pollution dialogue. Synthesizing key highlights from these discussions, ERIA published the report on ACCPP 2024 which is accessible through the following link: ACCPP 2024 Report.

■ Academia /Educational Institutions
Name :IGES

ERIA’s Experts Working Group (EWG) on Marine Plastic Debris was established in September 2021 with the goal of gathering information, developing policy recommendations, and promoting regional cooperation to combat marine plastic pollution in the ASEAN+3 region. In its conception, the EWG consisted of 14 experts from a diverse set of expertise ranging from chemistry to policy, though this number has since grown to 21 experts. The experts regularly meet to discuss various plastic pollution-related topics in light of recent developments on the issue. As of now, the ERIA EWG has met six times and published two reports: Building Data on the Plastics Value Chain in ASEAN Member States and National Plastic Action Partnerships (NPAP): A Multistakeholder Approach to Addressing Plastic Pollution in Developing Countries both in 2023.

The Sixth ERIA EWG Meeting took place on 18th February 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. During this opportunity the experts discussed emerging issues relating to plastic pollution, including fishing gear, microplastics, and the upcoming global plastics treaty. The ASEAN Plastic Book Project, which aims to provide an overview of the latest status and countermeasures of plastic pollution in the ASEAN region, was also discussed by the experts during the occasion. This book is expected to be launched in 2026.
More information on ERIA’s Sixth EWG Meeting can be accessed here: The 6th ERIA EWG Meeting.

■ Others: Development Partner
Name :Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Since 2022, ERIA has been a part of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs (3RproMar) under the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. More specifically, ERIA is one of the three ASEAN regional knowledge platforms involved in the project’s ASEAN Knowledge Partnership for Marine Litter Prevention. As part of this project, ERIA revamped and updated its webpage to include updated marine plastics-related information as well as several new interactive features. This would help raise greater awareness on marine plastics issues, facilitate networking among relevant stakeholders, and support information exchange and cooperation. The project is currently ongoing and is to be concluded in June 2025.

Understanding that efforts to address marine plastics are continuously underway across the ASEAN region, ERIA regularly updates the information on the page on ASEAN+3 national frameworks and efforts to address marine plastics. The Private Sector Platform (PSP), a page cataloguing private sector companies in the ASEAN+3 region that actively contributes to reducing plastic waste, was given a new and more user-friendly interface and efforts are underway to mobilize more companies to register on to the platform. New features on the website are a new interactive page on EPR dedicated to sharing information on EPR adoption, implementation, and best practices, as well as a database of non-governmental stakeholders (including research institutes, private sector alliances, NGOs, as well as regional and international cooperations.

In addition to updating the web platform, ERIA has also organized a series of events under this partnership as follows:

1. The Private Sector Hybrid Seminar ‘Toward Plastic Circularity: Good Practices from Singapore’, 18th April 2024.
2. The Private Sector Hybrid Seminar ‘Brunei's Journey to Plastic Sustainability: Hands-on Initiatives in Action’, 20 June 2024.
3. EPR for Plastic and Packaging ASEAN Member States (AMS): Focal Point Workshop, 13 February 2025.

More information on ERIA’s participation to this project can be accessed here:
https://rkcmpd-eria.org/our-project/3rpromar-regional-knowledge-hub-for-marine-litter-prevention-in-asean.

Lao PDR initiated the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on Plastic Circularity (ADPC) during their ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024, which demonstrates a continuation of ASEAN’s commitment on plastic actions following up the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN Region in 2019. The declaration, which was developed in close collaboration with ERIA, emphasizes on the commitment to advance plastic circularity through a full-life-cycle approach. There are seven actions to achieve this, from enhancing plastic product design towards promoting sustainable plastics, promoting research, development, and the use of non-plastic substitutes, improving environmentally sound plastic waste management systems, to foster collaborations and encourage actions to support global efforts for a circular economy. Adopted on 9 October 2024, the declaration marked ASEAN member states’ readiness to support the finalization of a new international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution at the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in November 2024.

■ National Government
■ Others: International Organization
Name :UNEP

In light of the development of the impending international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, ERIA has continuously participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meetings from the third session in November 2023 to the fifth session in November 2024. As an observer, the objective of our participation has not only been to understand the dynamics of the discussion, but also to disseminate good practices that ASEAN countries have initiated to address the issue. Consistently since the INC-3 in Nairobi, Kenya, ERIA has been invited as a speaker in multiple side events listed below:

1. Beyond borders: Working Regionally to Tackle Plastic Pollution, 16 November 2023, organized by the World Bank and UNEP.
2. Asia in Focus: Multi-Stakeholder Knowledge Sharing on Plastic Initiatives, 22 April 2024, organized by the Ministry of Environment of Japan, ERIA, and IGES.
3. Plastic pollution in the marine environment, 24 April 2024, organized by INC Secretariat.
4. ‘Uniting for a Plastic-Free Future: Policy Approaches and Global Collaboration,’ 26 November 2024, organized by the Korean Environment Institute (KEI).
5. ‘Enhanced Readiness of The Southeast Asian Region in Addressing Plastic Pollution under Plastic Treaty: Regional Collaboration to Address Plastic Pollution Across Its Lifecycle,’ 27 November 2024, organized by Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), World Resources Institute Indonesia, Global Plastic Action Partnership, University of New South Wales, Global Ocean Account Partnership, and ERIA.

In addition to these events, ERIA also submitted written statements in INC-4, which was also read in front of member states and observers, and in INC-5. Both statements highlight the significant progress in addressing plastic pollution within the ASEAN region and underscored the need for reaching a reasonable consensus that ensures support for countries such as those in ASEAN in capacity building, infrastructure development, and resource mobilization.

Further information on ERIA’s participation in the INC process can be found in the following links: INC-4 and INC-5.