The East and Southeast Asian regions are the biggest contributors of marine plastic pollution, as a result of rapid economic growth coupled with the lack of waste management infrastructure. This issue is being discussed at the ongoing COP26 in Glasgow, reflecting its urgency and relevance as the leading climate issue. The situation has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The pandemic changed people’s consumption behaviour, such as the exponential increase in personal protective equipment such as the surgical face mask, and the shift from eat-in to take-away and delivery for food consumption. It can be a huge advantage to explore new business ideas from a business viewpoint, but from an environment standpoint the shift will result in an increasing amount of plastic waste.
Governments are advocating initiatives to tackle the adverse effects, such as using alternative materials and applying voluntary extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes. But in reality, businesses tend to avoid such voluntary initiatives.
During a public forum co-hosted by the ASEAN Secretariat and ERIA in June 2021, Ms Iris Chang, Regional Head of Sustainability at Grab, one of Southeast Asia’s largest online service providers, said the company had a pilot programme to replace plastic food containers with more sustainable materials such as paper, which degrade more rapidly. However, the transition has proven to be challenging.
There are four key aspects making it difficult for food and beverage merchants to adopt more eco-friendly packaging, Ms Chang said. First, price, as merchants are sensitive to costs and sustainable containers can cost four to five times more than plastic packaging. Second, design, as many Asian cuisines are covered with sauce and need watertight food delivery boxes. Third, lack of standards for genuinely eco-friendly containers which allows for greenwashing, causing restaurant owners to be unsure which materials are better than plastic. And fourth, the absence of regulatory requirements. Restaurant owners can be less motivated to switch their packaging type if it is not mandatory.
Many big businesses have lobbied for these voluntary initiatives as a tactic to delay and derail progressive legislation, according to a report published by the Changing Markets Foundation, while distracting consumers and governments with empty promises and false solutions.
Giving the option to voluntarily adopt eco-friendly business practices is no longer enough. There should be structural incentives for both retailers and consumers to pay more, do more for genuinely eco-friendly packaging. Disincentives should also be applied for non-compliant parties.
While entrepreneurs and innovators are developing new methods and technologies, governments must work in parallel to provide a holistic and contextual policy framework, Mr Tommy Tjiptadjaja, Co-Founder and CEO of Indonesian green tech social enterprise Greenhope, told the same public forum, as well as a roadmap taking into consideration stakeholder input, incentives, and disincentives. Environmentally conscious entrepreneurs should not be left to their own devices and instead should be assured the government is working alongside them, he said.
Governments can offer incentives for businesses who participate in positive business practices. Mr Kentaro Inukai, President of Pana-Chemical, an EPS (Styrofoam) recycling system provider in Japan, told the forum that as EPS disposal is costly in Japan and illegal dumping results in costly penalties, Japanese businesses are motivated to invest in adequate machinery for their recycling systems, which can minimise the cost for plastic waste disposal. To further promote this trend and encourage companies to purchase recycling machinery, governments can offer incentives such as subsidies for the acquisition of such equipment, he said.
From the consumer side, Ms Supatchaya Techachoochert, Co-Founder of Refill Station, the first bulk store in Thailand, has witnessed improvements in the public awareness of plastic pollution among Thailand society compared to half a decade ago, where such understanding was dominated by the expat community.
To create momentum for a more sustainable business environment, all stakeholders must be on the same page, and this includes the consumers’ mindset, she said. In conjunction with the incentives and disincentives toward the business sector, education and awareness raising is crucial to change the way consumers choose their suppliers. Offering rewards in the form of discounts, cashback, or special gifts could further translate the mindset into practice.
Such mechanisms can progressively lay the foundation for mandatory initiatives down the line. Well-designed mandatory EPR schemes under progressive legislation could be developed with transparent modulated fees, the polluter-pays principle and reduction targets, and funding for better alternative materials.
The private sector across the region has initiated positive business practices. However, none offer a one-size-fits-all solution. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses, as well as informing policy makers of initiatives that can be effectively implemented in the local context, is key. The pandemic has accelerated the rate at which we generate plastic waste, and we are under increasing pressure to find a holistic solution. Failure to act fast will risk hindering regional efforts to combat marine plastic pollution.
This op-ed has also been featured in Manila Times, The Jakarta Post. Borneo Bulletin, China Daily, and Asia News Network.
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