Jakarta, 2 November 2021: ERIA has become an observer organisation of the Japan Clean Ocean Material Alliance (CLOMA), in a collaboration to address the issue of marine plastic pollution in ASEAN+3 countries.
The East and Southeast Asian regions are recognised today as the biggest contributors of marine plastic pollution, as a result of rapid economic growth coupled with a lack of solid waste management infrastructure. It is against this backdrop that ERIA established the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre) in 2019, to serve as an information clearinghouse on marine plastic pollution in ASEAN+3 countries.
The Centre's objectives are to create a regional network and raise awareness regarding marine plastic debris (MPD), promote innovative actions in each member country, and facilitate national and regional cooperation.
CLOMA is an alliance of companies across the plastic supply chain in Japan. Each company is engaged in promoting the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) in addition to innovations in plastic alternatives (replace). CLOMA aims to bring together their technological developments and know-how to work toward a collective solution to the plastics issue, both within Japan and globally. The number of participating companies has grown from the original 159 in 2019 to 459 companies and groups today.
CLOMA also has 18 observer organisations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the ASEAN-Japan Centre, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the Japan Association for Chemical Innovation (JACI), and ERIA.
By becoming an observer organisation, ERIA intends to expand the network of the Centre and strives to strengthen the partnership with CLOMA, with whom it shares the common objective of tackling marine plastic pollution. ERIA hopes to contribute to CLOMA’s international activities by sharing the relevant knowledge it has gathered across the ASEAN+3 region.
ERIA also hopes to receive valuable feedback and first-hand input from the Japanese private sector alliance on their efforts to address the marine plastic issue through their innovative approaches. Many collaborative activities have already been undertaken by the two institutions since 2020, and the formalisation of the partnership is expected to further propel the cooperation.
Mr Koji Hachiyama, ERIA Chief Operating Officer, said that strengthening the collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as promoting information sharing among private corporations, has become imperative amid the new global challenge of marine plastic litter.
‘ERIA believes in a multi-stakeholder approach, and CLOMA has become one of our valuable partners with whom we share many important interests, such as the resource circularity of plastic. I hope this newly established association will create a fruitful alliance,’ he said.
Ms Tomomi Fukumoto, Chair of the CLOMA International Working Group, praised the Centre for collecting and disseminating useful knowledge from both within the ASEAN+3 region and around the world.
‘CLOMA is committed to make international contributions through its activities and is very glad to form a partnership with ERIA on this important topic. We hope to share good practices in plastic resource circularity developed by Japanese companies affiliated to CLOMA, and we look forward to connecting with ASEAN countries with the support of ERIA,’ said Ms Fukumoto, who is also the Executive Officer of Division COO, Sustainability Management Division, Suntory Holdings Ltd.
Communication Desk
Jakarta, 2 November 2021: ERIA has become an observer organisation of the Japan Clean Ocean Material Alliance (CLOMA), in a collaboration to address the issue of marine plastic pollution in ASEAN+3 countries.
The East and Southeast Asian regions are recognised today as the biggest contributors of marine plastic pollution, as a result of rapid economic growth coupled with a lack of solid waste management infrastructure. It is against this backdrop that ERIA established the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre) in 2019, to serve as an information clearinghouse on marine plastic pollution in ASEAN+3 countries.
The Centre's objectives are to create a regional network and raise awareness regarding marine plastic debris (MPD), promote innovative actions in each member country, and facilitate national and regional cooperation.
CLOMA is an alliance of companies across the plastic supply chain in Japan. Each company is engaged in promoting the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) in addition to innovations in plastic alternatives (replace). CLOMA aims to bring together their technological developments and know-how to work toward a collective solution to the plastics issue, both within Japan and globally. The number of participating companies has grown from the original 159 in 2019 to 459 companies and groups today.
CLOMA also has 18 observer organisations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the ASEAN-Japan Centre, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the Japan Association for Chemical Innovation (JACI), and ERIA.
By becoming an observer organisation, ERIA intends to expand the network of the Centre and strives to strengthen the partnership with CLOMA, with whom it shares the common objective of tackling marine plastic pollution. ERIA hopes to contribute to CLOMA’s international activities by sharing the relevant knowledge it has gathered across the ASEAN+3 region.
ERIA also hopes to receive valuable feedback and first-hand input from the Japanese private sector alliance on their efforts to address the marine plastic issue through their innovative approaches. Many collaborative activities have already been undertaken by the two institutions since 2020, and the formalisation of the partnership is expected to further propel the cooperation.
Mr Koji Hachiyama, ERIA Chief Operating Officer, said that strengthening the collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as promoting information sharing among private corporations, has become imperative amid the new global challenge of marine plastic litter.
‘ERIA believes in a multi-stakeholder approach, and CLOMA has become one of our valuable partners with whom we share many important interests, such as the resource circularity of plastic. I hope this newly established association will create a fruitful alliance,’ he said.
Ms Tomomi Fukumoto, Chair of the CLOMA International Working Group, praised the Centre for collecting and disseminating useful knowledge from both within the ASEAN+3 region and around the world.
‘CLOMA is committed to make international contributions through its activities and is very glad to form a partnership with ERIA on this important topic. We hope to share good practices in plastic resource circularity developed by Japanese companies affiliated to CLOMA, and we look forward to connecting with ASEAN countries with the support of ERIA,’ said Ms Fukumoto, who is also the Executive Officer of Division COO, Sustainability Management Division, Suntory Holdings Ltd.
Communication Desk
