2-3 September 2021: ERIA, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) on Environmental Technologies (CCET), co-hosted the first meeting of ERIA's Experts Working Group on Marine Plastic Debris online.
The working group is composed of experts from a diverse set of marine plastic related disciplines and was created to provide technical advice to the work of ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre). Collectively, experts will provide their knowledge on data-driven policymaking, facilitate effective regional information exchange, and enrich research and analysis on marine plastics and the circular economy for the ASEAN+3 region.
The meeting was attended by representatives from ERIA, IGES, CCET, as well as 14 experts from different institutions and countries, and some key partners.
Mr Takayuki Shigematsu, Deputy Director of the Office of Policy Against Marine Plastic Pollution, the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MOEJ), the Centre's main financial supporter, reiterated the Japanese government’s commitment to tackle this pressing global issue and welcomed the technical regional initiative.
Dr Vong Sok, Head of the Environment Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, said the working group’s objective aligns with the recently launched ASEAN Regional Action Plan, and recommended it collaborate closely with the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), and the ASEAN Working Group on Chemical and Waste (AWGCW). He offered words of encouragement and expressed his hope the working group would focus on solutions rather than problems to offer relevant recommendations for practical policy.
Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA Research Fellow, introduced the Centre and its planned activities for 2021-2022. He welcomed input and advice from the experts to ensure regional relevance and endorsement of the Scoping Paper.
The second presentation was delivered by Dr Youna Lyons from the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. Dr Lyons and her team is creating metadata that captures who is researching what on marine plastics in the ASEAN+3 region, and her work sparked interest and was welcomed by the working group.
Dr Vivek Anand Asokan, IGES Policy Researcher, presented the draft report on Building Data on Plastic Value Chain in the ASEAN Member States, to expose existing data gaps and welcome feedback to improve our collective understanding of plastics in ASEAN, on the second day of the meeting. The working group agreed that some useful indicators and current policy trends in ASEAN countries should be incorporated to improve the report.
Prof Chettiyappan Visvanathan, from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), then spoke on how to tackle emerging issues such as COVID-19 and plastics in the region. The upward trend of online purchasing and the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), which led to a significant increase of plastic waste, may continue even after the pandemic is over, and consumer behaviour along with the long-term impact of the pandemic on plastic consumption needs close inspection.
Mr Michikazu Kojima of ERIA and Dr Yasuhiko Hotta, IGES Programme Director of Sustainable Consumption and Production, thanked the participants for their two days of engagement and their future collaboration.
A working group meeting is expected to be held twice a year, with the possibility of field visits once travel is possible.
Communication Desk
2-3 September 2021: ERIA, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) on Environmental Technologies (CCET), co-hosted the first meeting of ERIA's Experts Working Group on Marine Plastic Debris online.
The working group is composed of experts from a diverse set of marine plastic related disciplines and was created to provide technical advice to the work of ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre). Collectively, experts will provide their knowledge on data-driven policymaking, facilitate effective regional information exchange, and enrich research and analysis on marine plastics and the circular economy for the ASEAN+3 region.
The meeting was attended by representatives from ERIA, IGES, CCET, as well as 14 experts from different institutions and countries, and some key partners.
Mr Takayuki Shigematsu, Deputy Director of the Office of Policy Against Marine Plastic Pollution, the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MOEJ), the Centre's main financial supporter, reiterated the Japanese government’s commitment to tackle this pressing global issue and welcomed the technical regional initiative.
Dr Vong Sok, Head of the Environment Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, said the working group’s objective aligns with the recently launched ASEAN Regional Action Plan, and recommended it collaborate closely with the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), and the ASEAN Working Group on Chemical and Waste (AWGCW). He offered words of encouragement and expressed his hope the working group would focus on solutions rather than problems to offer relevant recommendations for practical policy.
Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA Research Fellow, introduced the Centre and its planned activities for 2021-2022. He welcomed input and advice from the experts to ensure regional relevance and endorsement of the Scoping Paper.
The second presentation was delivered by Dr Youna Lyons from the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. Dr Lyons and her team is creating metadata that captures who is researching what on marine plastics in the ASEAN+3 region, and her work sparked interest and was welcomed by the working group.
Dr Vivek Anand Asokan, IGES Policy Researcher, presented the draft report on Building Data on Plastic Value Chain in the ASEAN Member States, to expose existing data gaps and welcome feedback to improve our collective understanding of plastics in ASEAN, on the second day of the meeting. The working group agreed that some useful indicators and current policy trends in ASEAN countries should be incorporated to improve the report.
Prof Chettiyappan Visvanathan, from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), then spoke on how to tackle emerging issues such as COVID-19 and plastics in the region. The upward trend of online purchasing and the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), which led to a significant increase of plastic waste, may continue even after the pandemic is over, and consumer behaviour along with the long-term impact of the pandemic on plastic consumption needs close inspection.
Mr Michikazu Kojima of ERIA and Dr Yasuhiko Hotta, IGES Programme Director of Sustainable Consumption and Production, thanked the participants for their two days of engagement and their future collaboration.
A working group meeting is expected to be held twice a year, with the possibility of field visits once travel is possible.
Communication Desk
