Iloilo City, 21 March 2024: The ERIA Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre) team, along with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), co-organised a session on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States Contributing to Minimise Plastic Pollution, as part of the 3rd Regional Workshop for the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs (3RproMar) project under GIZ.
The session, which was moderated by the Centre Director Mr Reo Kawamura; and Dr Johannes Paul, Team Leader for 3RproMar of GIZ Philippines, began with a panel presentation on EPR practices across ASEAN, followed by the soft launch of the Centre’s EPR webpage and a focus group discussion (FGD).
The panel presentation featured Mr Choo Kim Kian, Assistant Director of the Department of Sustainable Packaging Policy from Singapore’s National Environment Agency; Ms Delia Valdez, an Environmental Specialist from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines; and Ms Ilusion Farias, Managing Director of Friends of Hope.
Mr Choo and Ms Valdez provided insights on the implementation of EPR schemes in their respective countries from a government perspective, while Ms Farias discussed the non-governmental organisation and private sector perspectives, sharing how organisations such as Friends of Hope can contribute to diverting waste while also supporting community livelihoods.
The panel was concluded by Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Issues, who presented a summary of EPR implementation among ASEAN Member States (AMS). Mr Kojima highlighted the factors that affect the value of plastics, which in turn influence how they are collected and managed. He also discussed observed challenges in applying EPR in developing countries, and concluded with examples of good practices that can be used as a reference.
After the panel presentation, Ms Elsa Noviani, the Centre’s Management Associate, took the stage to introduce a webpage dedicated to EPR knowledge on the Centre’s newly revamped website. The webpage includes information on the EPR legal framework and practices in ASEAN+3 Member States, global EPR practices, and challenges and opportunities in implementing EPR schemes. As the webpage was only recently launched, participants of the session were encouraged to explore it and provide feedback and suggestions for further improvement.
The session was concluded with an FGD where participants were divided into three groups to discuss EPR-related topics. Group 1, facilitated by Mr Kojima, Ms Aulia Salsabella Suwarno of the Centre, and Mr Florian Schmidt of GIZ Cambodia, explored the different types of information needed to design effective EPR schemes. Group 2, facilitated by Mr Kawamura and Mr Roy Andy Panjaitan of GIZ Indonesia, focused on how EPR knowledge and best practices should be shared. Ms Noviani and Ms Julia Giebel of GIZ Indonesia facilitated Group 3, which discussed the EPR webpage, specifically identifying gaps and potential opportunities for making it more accessible and useful for its visitors.
While the results of Group 3’s discussion were useful in helping the Centre further improve its EPR webpage, the results from Group 1 and 2 were also helpful in creating a better understanding of the landscape of EPR practices across the ASEAN region.
The GIZ 3RproMar 3rd Regional Workshop was held in Iloilo City, the Philippines, 19-23 March 2024, to share the progress of the implementation of the project and discuss regional interventions for addressing marine litter. The Centre is involved in one of the four activities under the GIZ 3RproMar project, which focuses on promoting regional cooperation and knowledge management on marine litter and plastic pollution.
Research Associate
Iloilo City, 21 March 2024: The ERIA Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre) team, along with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), co-organised a session on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States Contributing to Minimise Plastic Pollution, as part of the 3rd Regional Workshop for the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs (3RproMar) project under GIZ.
The session, which was moderated by the Centre Director Mr Reo Kawamura; and Dr Johannes Paul, Team Leader for 3RproMar of GIZ Philippines, began with a panel presentation on EPR practices across ASEAN, followed by the soft launch of the Centre’s EPR webpage and a focus group discussion (FGD).
The panel presentation featured Mr Choo Kim Kian, Assistant Director of the Department of Sustainable Packaging Policy from Singapore’s National Environment Agency; Ms Delia Valdez, an Environmental Specialist from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines; and Ms Ilusion Farias, Managing Director of Friends of Hope.
Mr Choo and Ms Valdez provided insights on the implementation of EPR schemes in their respective countries from a government perspective, while Ms Farias discussed the non-governmental organisation and private sector perspectives, sharing how organisations such as Friends of Hope can contribute to diverting waste while also supporting community livelihoods.
The panel was concluded by Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Issues, who presented a summary of EPR implementation among ASEAN Member States (AMS). Mr Kojima highlighted the factors that affect the value of plastics, which in turn influence how they are collected and managed. He also discussed observed challenges in applying EPR in developing countries, and concluded with examples of good practices that can be used as a reference.
After the panel presentation, Ms Elsa Noviani, the Centre’s Management Associate, took the stage to introduce a webpage dedicated to EPR knowledge on the Centre’s newly revamped website. The webpage includes information on the EPR legal framework and practices in ASEAN+3 Member States, global EPR practices, and challenges and opportunities in implementing EPR schemes. As the webpage was only recently launched, participants of the session were encouraged to explore it and provide feedback and suggestions for further improvement.
The session was concluded with an FGD where participants were divided into three groups to discuss EPR-related topics. Group 1, facilitated by Mr Kojima, Ms Aulia Salsabella Suwarno of the Centre, and Mr Florian Schmidt of GIZ Cambodia, explored the different types of information needed to design effective EPR schemes. Group 2, facilitated by Mr Kawamura and Mr Roy Andy Panjaitan of GIZ Indonesia, focused on how EPR knowledge and best practices should be shared. Ms Noviani and Ms Julia Giebel of GIZ Indonesia facilitated Group 3, which discussed the EPR webpage, specifically identifying gaps and potential opportunities for making it more accessible and useful for its visitors.
While the results of Group 3’s discussion were useful in helping the Centre further improve its EPR webpage, the results from Group 1 and 2 were also helpful in creating a better understanding of the landscape of EPR practices across the ASEAN region.
The GIZ 3RproMar 3rd Regional Workshop was held in Iloilo City, the Philippines, 19-23 March 2024, to share the progress of the implementation of the project and discuss regional interventions for addressing marine litter. The Centre is involved in one of the four activities under the GIZ 3RproMar project, which focuses on promoting regional cooperation and knowledge management on marine litter and plastic pollution.
Research Associate
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