Geneva, 5 August 2025 – ERIA participated in the side event titled ’Ending Plastic Pollution in Southeast and East Asia: Bridging Gaps through Data and Knowledge, Capacity, Finance, Regional Cooperation, and Local Action,’ held alongside the second session of the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2). The event was co-organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), in partnership with ERIA.
Opening the event, Mr Hiroshi Ono, Former Vice-Minister and Senior Advisor to the Minister of the Environment, Japan, and Executive Director of IGES, emphasised the importance of bridging national-level policies and local actions. He highlighted three key priorities:
Bridging policy and practice,
Closing data and knowledge gaps, and
Unlocking finance at all levels.
Setting the scene, Dr Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division at the OECD Environment Directorate, presented findings from the OECD’s recent publication, ’Regional Plastics Outlook for Southeast and East Asia.’ The report projects that plastic use in the ASEAN+3 region will nearly double by 2050, with plastic leakage increasing by 68% unless urgent action is taken. Dr Agrawala stressed the need for stronger policy design, enhanced implementation, and improved financing, noting that ‘ending plastic pollution will require capacity building, stronger enforcement, and deeper regional cooperation.’
The panel discussion, moderated by Ms Kei Ohno Woodall from the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (UNEP), featured three experts sharing regional perspectives:
Ms Roisin Greene, Asia Regional Specialist at the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), World Economic Forum, shared updates on GPAP’s support for national roadmaps in 2024 and reiterated the importance of unlocking investment and improving financial flows for plastic pollution solutions in the ASEAN+3 region.
Ms Xiaoting Chen, Programme Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), highlighted EMF’s work in promoting the circular economy in packaging. She emphasised the foundation’s approach to translating insights and knowledge into policy implementation and local action.
Ms Chochoe Devaporihartakula, Senior Programme Manager at IGES, presented their ongoing work under the Zero-Waste City Initiative, showcasing practical efforts at the city level to reduce plastic waste.
In his closing remarks, Mr Reo Kawamura, Director of ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (RKC-MPD), reaffirmed the commitment of ASEAN Member States to combat plastic pollution but acknowledged ongoing challenges – particularly a lack of resources and implementation capacity. Citing ERIA’s upcoming capacity building programmes, Mr Kawamura called for enhanced international support to help ASEAN countries scale up their plastic pollution countermeasures.
Research Fellow
Geneva, 5 August 2025 – ERIA participated in the side event titled ’Ending Plastic Pollution in Southeast and East Asia: Bridging Gaps through Data and Knowledge, Capacity, Finance, Regional Cooperation, and Local Action,’ held alongside the second session of the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2). The event was co-organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), in partnership with ERIA.
Opening the event, Mr Hiroshi Ono, Former Vice-Minister and Senior Advisor to the Minister of the Environment, Japan, and Executive Director of IGES, emphasised the importance of bridging national-level policies and local actions. He highlighted three key priorities:
Bridging policy and practice,
Closing data and knowledge gaps, and
Unlocking finance at all levels.
Setting the scene, Dr Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division at the OECD Environment Directorate, presented findings from the OECD’s recent publication, ’Regional Plastics Outlook for Southeast and East Asia.’ The report projects that plastic use in the ASEAN+3 region will nearly double by 2050, with plastic leakage increasing by 68% unless urgent action is taken. Dr Agrawala stressed the need for stronger policy design, enhanced implementation, and improved financing, noting that ‘ending plastic pollution will require capacity building, stronger enforcement, and deeper regional cooperation.’
The panel discussion, moderated by Ms Kei Ohno Woodall from the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (UNEP), featured three experts sharing regional perspectives:
Ms Roisin Greene, Asia Regional Specialist at the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), World Economic Forum, shared updates on GPAP’s support for national roadmaps in 2024 and reiterated the importance of unlocking investment and improving financial flows for plastic pollution solutions in the ASEAN+3 region.
Ms Xiaoting Chen, Programme Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), highlighted EMF’s work in promoting the circular economy in packaging. She emphasised the foundation’s approach to translating insights and knowledge into policy implementation and local action.
Ms Chochoe Devaporihartakula, Senior Programme Manager at IGES, presented their ongoing work under the Zero-Waste City Initiative, showcasing practical efforts at the city level to reduce plastic waste.
In his closing remarks, Mr Reo Kawamura, Director of ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (RKC-MPD), reaffirmed the commitment of ASEAN Member States to combat plastic pollution but acknowledged ongoing challenges – particularly a lack of resources and implementation capacity. Citing ERIA’s upcoming capacity building programmes, Mr Kawamura called for enhanced international support to help ASEAN countries scale up their plastic pollution countermeasures.
Research Fellow
