Langkawi, 30–31 July 2025: Under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, the 36th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment (ASOEN) and related dialogues were held in Langkawi. These meetings provided a platform for senior environmental officials from across the region to discuss strategies for enhancing regional resilience against challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Plastic pollution received particular attention, garnering significant international interest.
As a key technical contributor to the issue, the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris of ERIA delivered a presentation in the 19th ASEAN–Japan Dialogue on Environmental Cooperation (AJDEC). Mr Reo Kawamura, Director of the Centre, highlighted its key activities for countering plastic pollution:
1. Chemicals and Waste
In collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), ERIA is now in the 2nd year of Phase II of the Capacity Building Programme for Reducing Recycling-Related Marine Plastic Pollution in ASEAN Cities (CaRMPAC) project. Building on the outcomes of Phase I – particularly its assessment reports and technical guidelines – Phase II focuses on capacity-building activities for plastic waste recyclers, government officers, and relevant stakeholders across 12 cities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Philippines.
2. Coastal and Marine Environment
The Centre also presented two activities addressing plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments:
Bioindicator Selection for Marine Litter Monitoring in ASEAN: ERIA – in collaboration with the Institute of Developing Economies, at Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) – is developing a bioindicator for marine plastic pollution. This work aims to support the creation of harmonised protocols for assessing and monitoring marine litter using biota samples. Kick-off discussions were held in February 2025.
Pilot Project on Floating and Drifted Marine Plastics in Mangroves: ERIA completed a 3-year project for the conservation of mangroves and the marine environment through the mobilisation of local communities in clean-up activities. The Centre’s Guidelines for Community-led Marine Litter Survey in Mangroves and Guidelines for Community-led Clean-up Activities in Mangroves, available for download at the Centre’s website for free, were introduced during the presentation.
3. Environmental Education
To raise awareness and reduce single-use plastics (SUP) consumption, ERIA and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) have entered Phase II of the Breaking the Plastic Habit project. This phase pilots scale-up interventions to control SUP consumption in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Philippines.
ERIA and IGES are also in the process of establishing the Behavioural Lab, a new regional coalition of organisations working on behavioural change in ASEAN countries, with an emphasis on plastics. The coalition aims to jointly develop knowledge and discuss the merits of behavioural change as one of the effective policy instruments for addressing plastic pollution.
Mr Kawamura also introduced ERIA’s new Capacity Building Programme, which facilitates national and regional capacity-building activities. Currently being developed in alignment with the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States, this initiative consists of three components:
Programme 1: Set to be implemented in September 2025; focused on transforming business towards circular economy.
Programme 2: Planned for November 2025 implementation; supporting government officials and young researchers in conducting monitoring and data-driven policymaking.
Programme 3: Scheduled for February 2026; aimed at facilitating the integration of informal sectors into plastic waste management.
He also presented the ASEAN Plastic Book project, a forthcoming publication developed in collaboration with IGES and experts from ASEAN+3 countries. This handbook is designed for academia and policymakers working on combatting plastic pollution, primarily in the ASEAN+3 region. Part 1 consists of cross-country chapters about the plastic pollution status quo, outlook, and countermeasures in East Asia, while Part 2 comprises country-specific chapters with highlighted topics for each ASEAN+3 country. This handbook is expected to be published within 2025, after the ERIA–IGES Expert Working Group's review.
Director of the Knowledge Centre
Langkawi, 30–31 July 2025: Under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, the 36th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment (ASOEN) and related dialogues were held in Langkawi. These meetings provided a platform for senior environmental officials from across the region to discuss strategies for enhancing regional resilience against challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Plastic pollution received particular attention, garnering significant international interest.
As a key technical contributor to the issue, the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris of ERIA delivered a presentation in the 19th ASEAN–Japan Dialogue on Environmental Cooperation (AJDEC). Mr Reo Kawamura, Director of the Centre, highlighted its key activities for countering plastic pollution:
1. Chemicals and Waste
In collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), ERIA is now in the 2nd year of Phase II of the Capacity Building Programme for Reducing Recycling-Related Marine Plastic Pollution in ASEAN Cities (CaRMPAC) project. Building on the outcomes of Phase I – particularly its assessment reports and technical guidelines – Phase II focuses on capacity-building activities for plastic waste recyclers, government officers, and relevant stakeholders across 12 cities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Philippines.
2. Coastal and Marine Environment
The Centre also presented two activities addressing plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments:
Bioindicator Selection for Marine Litter Monitoring in ASEAN: ERIA – in collaboration with the Institute of Developing Economies, at Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) – is developing a bioindicator for marine plastic pollution. This work aims to support the creation of harmonised protocols for assessing and monitoring marine litter using biota samples. Kick-off discussions were held in February 2025.
Pilot Project on Floating and Drifted Marine Plastics in Mangroves: ERIA completed a 3-year project for the conservation of mangroves and the marine environment through the mobilisation of local communities in clean-up activities. The Centre’s Guidelines for Community-led Marine Litter Survey in Mangroves and Guidelines for Community-led Clean-up Activities in Mangroves, available for download at the Centre’s website for free, were introduced during the presentation.
3. Environmental Education
To raise awareness and reduce single-use plastics (SUP) consumption, ERIA and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) have entered Phase II of the Breaking the Plastic Habit project. This phase pilots scale-up interventions to control SUP consumption in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Philippines.
ERIA and IGES are also in the process of establishing the Behavioural Lab, a new regional coalition of organisations working on behavioural change in ASEAN countries, with an emphasis on plastics. The coalition aims to jointly develop knowledge and discuss the merits of behavioural change as one of the effective policy instruments for addressing plastic pollution.
Mr Kawamura also introduced ERIA’s new Capacity Building Programme, which facilitates national and regional capacity-building activities. Currently being developed in alignment with the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States, this initiative consists of three components:
Programme 1: Set to be implemented in September 2025; focused on transforming business towards circular economy.
Programme 2: Planned for November 2025 implementation; supporting government officials and young researchers in conducting monitoring and data-driven policymaking.
Programme 3: Scheduled for February 2026; aimed at facilitating the integration of informal sectors into plastic waste management.
He also presented the ASEAN Plastic Book project, a forthcoming publication developed in collaboration with IGES and experts from ASEAN+3 countries. This handbook is designed for academia and policymakers working on combatting plastic pollution, primarily in the ASEAN+3 region. Part 1 consists of cross-country chapters about the plastic pollution status quo, outlook, and countermeasures in East Asia, while Part 2 comprises country-specific chapters with highlighted topics for each ASEAN+3 country. This handbook is expected to be published within 2025, after the ERIA–IGES Expert Working Group's review.
Director of the Knowledge Centre
