Capacity-development Initiatives
for Data-driven Policy Making by
IGES on Plastic Pollution in ASEAN
Dr. Yasuhiko Hotta
Director/Principal Policy Analyst
Sustainable Consumption and Production Area
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies(IGES)
Vice President
Asia Pacific Roundtable on Sustainable
Consumption and Production (APRSCP)

Marine plastic pollution as an opportunity for promoting acircular economy and society Plastic pollution is caused by lifestyles dependent on mass consumption and production.
Marine plastic pollution is mainly coming from land-based sources.
 Thus, establishment of a circular economy and society is a key approach for tackling plastic
waste pollution. It is vital to have stakeholder collaboration and science-based target settingand its follow-up.

Source：OECD (2018), Improving Markets for Recycled Plastics

Maldives
Photo by Premakumara Jagath Dickella
GAMARALALAGE, IGES

22

Circular Economy and Plastics: A Gap-Analysis in ASEAN Member States-Analysis
conducted under the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI)
1. Information and Knowledge Gap• Absence of good quality data and knowledge both in upstream and downstream ofplastic lifecycles/value-chains.
2. Policy and Governance Gap• Unclear or overlapping mandates, roles and responsibilities at different levels ofagencies of government• Less equipped in policy packages and instruments to turn national strategies and plans
into action• Less experience in engagement with diverse stakeholders for policy making andimplementation
3. Technical Capacity Gap• Limited technical training• Lack of infrastructure for preventing environmental leakage of plastics• Limited capacity for R&D and innovation
4. Markets and Finance Gap• Needs shared and accepted standards for recyclables• Better access to market for recyclables• Uncertainty in transition from market-driven recycling system to more formalizedsystems

https://www.iges.or.j
p/en/pub/ceplastics/en33

Situation of National Plastic Action Plan Development
in ASEAN, South Asia, and East Asia
Bangladesh
Towards a Multisectoral
Action Plan for
Sustainable Plastic
Management inBangladesh 2021
BruneiDevelopment planfor the healthy andclean environment
Cambodia
Process will start(Many on-going)

China
National Action Pan on
ecological environmental
protection

India
Plastic Waste Management(Amendment) Rules, 2022
Indonesia
Indonesia’s Plan of Action
on Marine Plastic Debris
2017–2025

Japan
National Action Planfor Marine Plastic
Litter and Act on
Promotion ofResource Circulation
for Plastics
Republic of Korea
National Action Plan onmarine litter and marine
contaminated sediment

LAO PDR
Action plan for national
pollution control strategy

Malaysia
Malaysia's roadmap
towards zero single-use-plastics
MyanmarProcess withstart (JAIF)

Sri Lanka
National Action
Plan on Plastic
Waste
Management
2021 - 2030

ThailandThailand’s Roadmap
on Plastic Waste
Management 2018–Philippines
2030
The National Plan of Action
Action Plan onfor the Prevention, Reduction
Plastic Wasteand Management of Marine Management Phase
LitterI (2020-2022)
Viet Nam
Singapore
National Action Plan
Singapore's National
for management ofAction Strategy on
marine plastic litter byMarine Litter2030(expected in 2022)

International Action Plan

Regional Action Plan

Source: Global Partnership on Marine Litter
https://marinelitternetwork.engr.uga.edu/globalprojects/action-plans/

Concentration of international cooperation in Asia (especially in Southeast Asia)
G20 Report on Actions Against Marine Plastic Litter (official report of G20
resource efficiency dialogue process compiled and edited by IGES) showedthat Approx. 2/3 of bilateral or multilateral initiatives (23 out of 35) by G20
countries concentrated in Southeast Asia.
• OECD-style policy analysis and coordination function is necessary to mainstream circular economy in theregion (ASEAN+3)→ERIA RKC-MPD Technical Expert Working Group• ASEAN member states should take a lead and donors should collaborate to coordinate international efforts
in the region.→ASEAN Regional Action Plan and SEAMAP• Build on existing efforts and regional initiatives/platforms to respond to country needs as well as explore
synergies among stakeholders (ADB, GIZ, IDEA/IGES, IUCN, SWITCH Asia, UN Environment, COBSEA,
WORLD Bank etc.) to avoid duplication of work.→Network of platforms• Identify issues and priorities to be translated into national/regional action plans (NDC-equivalent to Plastics)
that can be implementable among ASEAN countries given their different institutional settings and level ofinterests. On-going discussion on global agreement on plastics at UNEA should go to that direction→NAP• To monitor the progress of actions and policies taken under NAP or other strategies. It is necessary todevelop a capacity of national and local governments for data gathering, development, analysis, evaluation
and reflection →Evidence-based/data-drive policy making
66Overview of Projects for Data-driven Policy Making supported by Japan and Related
Programmes in ASEAN
2019

2020

2021

World Bank

2022

2023

2024 ~

ASEAN Regional Action Plan and SEAMAP

Formulating Regional Action Plan

UNEP ROAP/UNDP

SEAMAP: Implementationof Regional and NationalAction Plan

Leakage and hotspot study in Mekong Region and Vietnam

JAIF NAP Phase1 (Jun 2019-Jun 2020)

1. Develop Outline ofNational Action
Plan (NAP)
2. Review on Existing
Leakage Models andActual Conditions
3. Develop CapacityBuilding Programon SWM
4. Review on
Monitoring Methodand Activities
5. Hold Workshops

JAIF NAP Phase2 (Dec 2021-Dec 2023)
1. NAP Formulation in Target
Countries (Myanmar, Cambodia)
2. Capacity Building on SWM
Phase 3 (TBD: 2024 -)(including identification of Hotspot
1. NAP Implementation at Cityand Leakage Source)
Level?
3. Regional Capacity Building and
2. Capacity Building onOutreach Monitoring Guidelines(Indonesia and Vietnam)

Monitoring & Dissemination of
Monitoring Manuals
3. Workshop and Dissemination

MOEJ (2020-2021)
UNESCAP Closing the Loop

TEMM framework (Japan & China & Korea)

Regional Knowledge Center

Sharing tofor Marine Plastic Debris for ASEAN plus 3 framework

ASEAN+3,ASEAN,

7

International Collaboration through Multilateral and Bilateral
Initiatives• Knowledge Product Development- Regional Plastic Outlook with ERIA and OECD to assess policy
options to achieve Osaka Blue Ocean Vision in ASEAN+3. G20 Marine Plastic Action Report andWebsite. Global Plastic Atlas• Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management in Selected ASEAN Countries – Explore synergies andpartnerships to collaborate among key actors to develop action plans and utilize experience from project
activities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Coordination Efforts and Partnerships with Key Actors in the Region - Explore synergies andpartnerships among the ERIA, AEPW, ASEAN Secretariat, COBSEA, UN Agencies, World Bank(SEAMAP), GIZ, and other key actors to find integrated solutions to plastic pollution.