Vientiane, 31 July – 1 August 2024: Under Lao PDR’s 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship, the country hosted the 35th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment (ASOEN) and related gatherings. These meetings provided a platform for senior environmental officials from the region to discuss strategies for enhancing regional resilience against challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Amongst these pressing issues, plastic pollution has garnered increasing attention from both ASEAN Member States (AMS) and their partners in recent years.
As a key technical contributor to the issue of plastic pollution, the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris of ERIA participated in the 35th ASOEN meeting. The Centre delivered a presentation, particularly during the 18th ASEAN–Japan Dialogue on Environmental Cooperation and the 21st ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting on Environment (SOME). Mr Michikazu Kojima, a Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Issues at ERIA, highlighted the Centre’s key activities in support of three ASEAN Working Groups under ASOEN:
1. Chemicals and Waste
The Regional Knowledge Centre spearheaded a 2-year project aimed at addressing plastic and resin leakage from factories and the informal recycling sector in ASEAN, recognising waste management practices as a primary source of plastic leakage into the environment. The project focused on cities in four countries: Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Upon its recent conclusion, the project produced Situation Assessment reports detailing the status of plastic leakages from recycling facilities. Additionally, it provided context-specific Technical Guidelines and Manuals outlining best practices for preventing plastic leakage in these facilities.
2. Coastal and Marine Environment
The Regional Knowledge Centre presented two activities related to plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments:
Bioindicator Selection for Marine Litter Monitoring in ASEAN: This project aimed to support the establishment of harmonised protocols for assessing and monitoring marine litter using biota samples. The project completed its preliminary study last year, gathering information on AMS capacities and preferred biota species for marine plastic monitoring.
Pilot Project on Floating and Drifted Marine Plastics in Mangroves: This project contributed to the conservation of mangroves and the marine environment through the mobilisation of local communities in clean-up activities. Conducted in Indonesia, the project established agreements of cooperation with local stakeholders and identified the most frequently found types of plastic debris in the project sites.
3. Environmental Education
To enhance educational and awareness-raising efforts aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics (SUP), the Regional Knowledge Centre launched the Behavioural Insights Application for Single-Use Plastics Reduction project in 2022. Drawing from pilot projects conducted in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, this initiative developed a toolkit that leverages Behavioural Economics tools to ‘nudge’ consumers towards reducing SUP use and promoting more sustainable waste management practices.
Mr Kojima also shared insights about the conventions and workshops organised by ERIA to disseminate knowledge and foster dialogue amongst various stakeholders in the region. These events included the ASEAN Conference on Combating Plastic Pollution, held in October 2023 in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia, and the Private Sector Seminar Series, which took place in April 2024 with the Government of Singapore and in June 2024 with the Government of Brunei.
Research Associate
Vientiane, 31 July – 1 August 2024: Under Lao PDR’s 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship, the country hosted the 35th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment (ASOEN) and related gatherings. These meetings provided a platform for senior environmental officials from the region to discuss strategies for enhancing regional resilience against challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Amongst these pressing issues, plastic pollution has garnered increasing attention from both ASEAN Member States (AMS) and their partners in recent years.
As a key technical contributor to the issue of plastic pollution, the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris of ERIA participated in the 35th ASOEN meeting. The Centre delivered a presentation, particularly during the 18th ASEAN–Japan Dialogue on Environmental Cooperation and the 21st ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting on Environment (SOME). Mr Michikazu Kojima, a Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Issues at ERIA, highlighted the Centre’s key activities in support of three ASEAN Working Groups under ASOEN:
1. Chemicals and Waste
The Regional Knowledge Centre spearheaded a 2-year project aimed at addressing plastic and resin leakage from factories and the informal recycling sector in ASEAN, recognising waste management practices as a primary source of plastic leakage into the environment. The project focused on cities in four countries: Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Upon its recent conclusion, the project produced Situation Assessment reports detailing the status of plastic leakages from recycling facilities. Additionally, it provided context-specific Technical Guidelines and Manuals outlining best practices for preventing plastic leakage in these facilities.
2. Coastal and Marine Environment
The Regional Knowledge Centre presented two activities related to plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments:
Bioindicator Selection for Marine Litter Monitoring in ASEAN: This project aimed to support the establishment of harmonised protocols for assessing and monitoring marine litter using biota samples. The project completed its preliminary study last year, gathering information on AMS capacities and preferred biota species for marine plastic monitoring.
Pilot Project on Floating and Drifted Marine Plastics in Mangroves: This project contributed to the conservation of mangroves and the marine environment through the mobilisation of local communities in clean-up activities. Conducted in Indonesia, the project established agreements of cooperation with local stakeholders and identified the most frequently found types of plastic debris in the project sites.
3. Environmental Education
To enhance educational and awareness-raising efforts aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics (SUP), the Regional Knowledge Centre launched the Behavioural Insights Application for Single-Use Plastics Reduction project in 2022. Drawing from pilot projects conducted in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, this initiative developed a toolkit that leverages Behavioural Economics tools to ‘nudge’ consumers towards reducing SUP use and promoting more sustainable waste management practices.
Mr Kojima also shared insights about the conventions and workshops organised by ERIA to disseminate knowledge and foster dialogue amongst various stakeholders in the region. These events included the ASEAN Conference on Combating Plastic Pollution, held in October 2023 in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia, and the Private Sector Seminar Series, which took place in April 2024 with the Government of Singapore and in June 2024 with the Government of Brunei.
Research Associate
