Yangon, 5 March 2025: Myanmar’s challenge with plastic waste goes beyond policy – it reflects resilience, creativity, and cultural heritage. In a country where reuse and repair have long been part of daily life, innovative businesses and grassroots initiatives are showing that sustainability is both achievable and practical.
Against this backdrop, ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, in partnership with Thant Myanmar, convened a hybrid seminar titled Myanmar's Bottom-Up Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in Reuse and Repair. The event brought together 117 participants, including experts, business leaders, and sustainability advocates from 24 countries to explore how Myanmar’s unique economic landscape fosters circular practices that reduce plastic waste and prevent marine debris.
Welcoming the participants, ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris Director Mr Reo Kawamura emphasized the need for collaboration to tackle marine plastic pollution. While Myanmar has one of the lowest per capita plastic consumption rates in ASEAN, he highlighted that economic growth could drive increased plastic use. He pointed to Myanmar’s rich traditions of repurposing materials – such as the use of bamboo fabrics and community-driven repair initiatives – as a strong foundation for sustainable alternatives. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern innovation, Myanmar has the potential to scale circular economy solutions, create jobs, and promote environmental sustainability.
Ms Nwe Ni Win, Research Lead at Thant Myanmar, opened the seminar by outlining Thant Myanmar’s multi-faceted approach to tackling plastic pollution through research, waste audits, and stakeholder engagement. She highlighted the economic and social benefits of Myanmar’s repair and reuse culture, noting that Yangon alone supports approximately 44,000 jobs in recycling businesses. She expressed optimism about scaling up traditional practices to combat plastic pollution more effectively.
The panel featured trailblazers from Myanmar’s sustainability sector, each sharing insights into their work promoting reuse and repair:
Mr Ngwe Tun, Founder and Director, Genius Shan Highlands Coffee
Since 2012, Mr Ngwe Tun has championed sustainable coffee consumption in Myanmar, tackling the environmental impact of single-use sachets. Genius Coffee introduced refillable and reusable packaging and established grinding stations in supermarkets to reduce plastic waste. The company also supplies bulk coffee in reusable bags to traditional tea shops, fostering behavioural change. Despite challenges in shifting consumer habits, he remains optimistic, citing growing health awareness and environmental consciousness as key drivers of change.
Ms Yee Yee Mon, Founder, Venus Skin Lux
Venus Skin Lux launched a sustainable shampoo bar business in 2022, introducing a pilot refill system to replace single-use sachets. Overcoming consumer resistance to solid shampoo and competition from multinational brands, the company introduced compostable packaging, a return system for used containers, and discounts for packaging-free purchases. To support low-income consumers, the firm set up refill stations across four townships, allowing flexible, waste-free purchasing. Through continuous innovation and education, Venus Skin Lux is steadily reducing plastic waste in Myanmar’s beauty industry.
Ms Muo Myo Maw, Founder, EcoBottles Recycle Services Company
Originally focused on profitability, EcoBottles later recognised the environmental importance of bottle reuse. Supplying 250,000 bottles daily, the company operates through an informal waste collection system of junk shops and waste pickers. Challenges include hygiene control, brand mismatches in bottle reuse, and a 60% return rate affected by natural disasters and cross-brand reuse. Despite these hurdles, Myanmar’s informal bottle reuse market remains profitable and crucial for sustainability, highlighting the need for improved quality control and efficiency.
Ms Nilar Tun, Independent Consultant, Circular Business Expert
Tracing Myanmar’s shifting economic landscape, Ms Nilar Tun explored how the country’s history shaped reuse and repair practices. Before the 1990s, Myanmar’s socialist economy fostered a culture of necessity-driven recycling. As markets opened, high-quality second-hand goods surged in popularity, but post-2011 liberalisation brought an influx of cheap, disposable products, diminishing traditional repair services. While urban areas saw a decline in repairs, rural communities continued to rely on reuse due to limited access to new products. Recognising and formalising these practices could sustain Myanmar’s circular economy amidst economic transformation.
Moderated by Mr Friedor Jeske, Programme Director at Thant Myanmar, the discussion explored key themes:
Consumer Behaviour: Changing habits remains a major challenge, particularly in low-income communities where convenience (single use plastics), affordability, and brand loyalty dictate purchasing decisions. While middle-income consumers show greater openness to reuse and refill systems, widespread adoption requires not only policy interventions but also product innovation that ensures sustainable choices are convenient, accessible, and cost-effective for all.
Business Adaptation and Innovation: Import restrictions have driven businesses to develop sustainable alternatives, such as non-electric products and eco-friendly packaging, but challenges like logistics and inflation persist. To align with environmental goals while maintaining economic viability, businesses must continue innovating, supported by cooperative repair models and social enterprises that help address supply chain constraints and rising costs.
Policy Support: Tax incentives and subsidies are critical to making reuse and repair businesses financially viable while balancing foreign direct investment and market openness. Policies such as import tariffs on virgin plastics and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programmes will require businesses to adopt circular economy practices and invest in sustainable solutions, which is viable even in low-income countries.
Capacity Building and Collaboration: Grassroots approaches such as through small neighbourhood shops play a pivotal role in fostering refill systems, while cooperation between businesses, policymakers, and NGOs is essential for scaling circular economy initiatives. Access to affordable materials, regulatory support, and targeted capacity-building efforts including skills training are essential to strengthening repair businesses and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Long-Term Vision: A multi sectoral strategy is needed to integrate reuse and repair practices into Myanmar’s economic and environmental policies. Over the next 5–10 years, strategic planning should focus on regulatory frameworks, financial incentives, and infrastructure development to drive long-term market shifts, ensuring circular economy principles become a core part of national development strategies.
The interactive Q&A session attracted participants from academia, international organisations, civil society, and public and private sectors (both multinational and local levels). Comments revolved around practical challenges such as regulatory compliance for reusable packaging, logistics of returnable bottle collection, and economic pressures affecting pricing models. The discussions and insights by panellists highlighted the importance of standardised product designs to facilitate reuse, the role of government incentives in making sustainable practices more viable, and the potential for grassroots education campaigns and digital platforms that connect consumers with repair services. Additionally, industry-wide investment in shared cleaning facilities and standardised packaging was emphasised as a strategy to reduce costs.
While competition poses challenges, participants acknowledged the potential for collective action in scaling reuse systems, aligning economic growth with environmental responsibility.
Highlighting the crucial role of the private sector in driving scalable solutions for reuse and repair, participants were invited to join the Regional Knowledge Centre’s Private Sector Platform (PSP), an online hub showcasing innovative solutions for plastic waste reduction. Ms Elsa Noviani, Knowledge Management Associate at ERIA, encouraged private sector actors to register on the platform for an opportunity to showcase their products, services, and technologies that are contributing to plastic waste reduction. their products, services, and technologies that are contributing to plastic waste reduction.
Closing the event, Mr Reo Kawamura reaffirmed ERIA’s commitment to supporting ASEAN+3 countries in their fight against marine plastic debris. Drawing parallels with Japan’s experience, he highlighted the importance of behavioural change, policy interventions, and multi-stakeholder cooperation to sustain circular economy initiatives.
Myanmar has a unique opportunity to strengthen its reuse and repair economy. However, achieving long-term impact requires coordinated efforts from policymakers, businesses, and communities. The insights from this seminar offer valuable lessons on advancing sustainable practices not only for Myanmar but also the broader ASEAN region.
With collaboration, innovation, and policy support, Myanmar’s circular economy has the potential to flourish – driving economic resilience while reducing plastic pollution.
As one of the Regional Knowledge Centre’s flagship programmes, the Private Sector Initiatives to Reduce Marine Plastics Seminar Series promotes private sector actors’ innovative practices that enhance plastic circularity and reduce plastic waste in ASEAN Member States. The seminar, held in partnership with Thant Myanmar, marked the 10th edition and Myanmar as the 10th ASEAN Member State visited by the Regional Knowledge Centre as part of this initiative.
The video recording of the seminar can be accessed here:
Research Associate for Capacity Building
Yangon, 5 March 2025: Myanmar’s challenge with plastic waste goes beyond policy – it reflects resilience, creativity, and cultural heritage. In a country where reuse and repair have long been part of daily life, innovative businesses and grassroots initiatives are showing that sustainability is both achievable and practical.
Against this backdrop, ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, in partnership with Thant Myanmar, convened a hybrid seminar titled Myanmar's Bottom-Up Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in Reuse and Repair. The event brought together 117 participants, including experts, business leaders, and sustainability advocates from 24 countries to explore how Myanmar’s unique economic landscape fosters circular practices that reduce plastic waste and prevent marine debris.
Welcoming the participants, ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris Director Mr Reo Kawamura emphasized the need for collaboration to tackle marine plastic pollution. While Myanmar has one of the lowest per capita plastic consumption rates in ASEAN, he highlighted that economic growth could drive increased plastic use. He pointed to Myanmar’s rich traditions of repurposing materials – such as the use of bamboo fabrics and community-driven repair initiatives – as a strong foundation for sustainable alternatives. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern innovation, Myanmar has the potential to scale circular economy solutions, create jobs, and promote environmental sustainability.
Ms Nwe Ni Win, Research Lead at Thant Myanmar, opened the seminar by outlining Thant Myanmar’s multi-faceted approach to tackling plastic pollution through research, waste audits, and stakeholder engagement. She highlighted the economic and social benefits of Myanmar’s repair and reuse culture, noting that Yangon alone supports approximately 44,000 jobs in recycling businesses. She expressed optimism about scaling up traditional practices to combat plastic pollution more effectively.
The panel featured trailblazers from Myanmar’s sustainability sector, each sharing insights into their work promoting reuse and repair:
Mr Ngwe Tun, Founder and Director, Genius Shan Highlands Coffee
Since 2012, Mr Ngwe Tun has championed sustainable coffee consumption in Myanmar, tackling the environmental impact of single-use sachets. Genius Coffee introduced refillable and reusable packaging and established grinding stations in supermarkets to reduce plastic waste. The company also supplies bulk coffee in reusable bags to traditional tea shops, fostering behavioural change. Despite challenges in shifting consumer habits, he remains optimistic, citing growing health awareness and environmental consciousness as key drivers of change.
Ms Yee Yee Mon, Founder, Venus Skin Lux
Venus Skin Lux launched a sustainable shampoo bar business in 2022, introducing a pilot refill system to replace single-use sachets. Overcoming consumer resistance to solid shampoo and competition from multinational brands, the company introduced compostable packaging, a return system for used containers, and discounts for packaging-free purchases. To support low-income consumers, the firm set up refill stations across four townships, allowing flexible, waste-free purchasing. Through continuous innovation and education, Venus Skin Lux is steadily reducing plastic waste in Myanmar’s beauty industry.
Ms Muo Myo Maw, Founder, EcoBottles Recycle Services Company
Originally focused on profitability, EcoBottles later recognised the environmental importance of bottle reuse. Supplying 250,000 bottles daily, the company operates through an informal waste collection system of junk shops and waste pickers. Challenges include hygiene control, brand mismatches in bottle reuse, and a 60% return rate affected by natural disasters and cross-brand reuse. Despite these hurdles, Myanmar’s informal bottle reuse market remains profitable and crucial for sustainability, highlighting the need for improved quality control and efficiency.
Ms Nilar Tun, Independent Consultant, Circular Business Expert
Tracing Myanmar’s shifting economic landscape, Ms Nilar Tun explored how the country’s history shaped reuse and repair practices. Before the 1990s, Myanmar’s socialist economy fostered a culture of necessity-driven recycling. As markets opened, high-quality second-hand goods surged in popularity, but post-2011 liberalisation brought an influx of cheap, disposable products, diminishing traditional repair services. While urban areas saw a decline in repairs, rural communities continued to rely on reuse due to limited access to new products. Recognising and formalising these practices could sustain Myanmar’s circular economy amidst economic transformation.
Moderated by Mr Friedor Jeske, Programme Director at Thant Myanmar, the discussion explored key themes:
Consumer Behaviour: Changing habits remains a major challenge, particularly in low-income communities where convenience (single use plastics), affordability, and brand loyalty dictate purchasing decisions. While middle-income consumers show greater openness to reuse and refill systems, widespread adoption requires not only policy interventions but also product innovation that ensures sustainable choices are convenient, accessible, and cost-effective for all.
Business Adaptation and Innovation: Import restrictions have driven businesses to develop sustainable alternatives, such as non-electric products and eco-friendly packaging, but challenges like logistics and inflation persist. To align with environmental goals while maintaining economic viability, businesses must continue innovating, supported by cooperative repair models and social enterprises that help address supply chain constraints and rising costs.
Policy Support: Tax incentives and subsidies are critical to making reuse and repair businesses financially viable while balancing foreign direct investment and market openness. Policies such as import tariffs on virgin plastics and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programmes will require businesses to adopt circular economy practices and invest in sustainable solutions, which is viable even in low-income countries.
Capacity Building and Collaboration: Grassroots approaches such as through small neighbourhood shops play a pivotal role in fostering refill systems, while cooperation between businesses, policymakers, and NGOs is essential for scaling circular economy initiatives. Access to affordable materials, regulatory support, and targeted capacity-building efforts including skills training are essential to strengthening repair businesses and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Long-Term Vision: A multi sectoral strategy is needed to integrate reuse and repair practices into Myanmar’s economic and environmental policies. Over the next 5–10 years, strategic planning should focus on regulatory frameworks, financial incentives, and infrastructure development to drive long-term market shifts, ensuring circular economy principles become a core part of national development strategies.
The interactive Q&A session attracted participants from academia, international organisations, civil society, and public and private sectors (both multinational and local levels). Comments revolved around practical challenges such as regulatory compliance for reusable packaging, logistics of returnable bottle collection, and economic pressures affecting pricing models. The discussions and insights by panellists highlighted the importance of standardised product designs to facilitate reuse, the role of government incentives in making sustainable practices more viable, and the potential for grassroots education campaigns and digital platforms that connect consumers with repair services. Additionally, industry-wide investment in shared cleaning facilities and standardised packaging was emphasised as a strategy to reduce costs.
While competition poses challenges, participants acknowledged the potential for collective action in scaling reuse systems, aligning economic growth with environmental responsibility.
Highlighting the crucial role of the private sector in driving scalable solutions for reuse and repair, participants were invited to join the Regional Knowledge Centre’s Private Sector Platform (PSP), an online hub showcasing innovative solutions for plastic waste reduction. Ms Elsa Noviani, Knowledge Management Associate at ERIA, encouraged private sector actors to register on the platform for an opportunity to showcase their products, services, and technologies that are contributing to plastic waste reduction. their products, services, and technologies that are contributing to plastic waste reduction.
Closing the event, Mr Reo Kawamura reaffirmed ERIA’s commitment to supporting ASEAN+3 countries in their fight against marine plastic debris. Drawing parallels with Japan’s experience, he highlighted the importance of behavioural change, policy interventions, and multi-stakeholder cooperation to sustain circular economy initiatives.
Myanmar has a unique opportunity to strengthen its reuse and repair economy. However, achieving long-term impact requires coordinated efforts from policymakers, businesses, and communities. The insights from this seminar offer valuable lessons on advancing sustainable practices not only for Myanmar but also the broader ASEAN region.
With collaboration, innovation, and policy support, Myanmar’s circular economy has the potential to flourish – driving economic resilience while reducing plastic pollution.
As one of the Regional Knowledge Centre’s flagship programmes, the Private Sector Initiatives to Reduce Marine Plastics Seminar Series promotes private sector actors’ innovative practices that enhance plastic circularity and reduce plastic waste in ASEAN Member States. The seminar, held in partnership with Thant Myanmar, marked the 10th edition and Myanmar as the 10th ASEAN Member State visited by the Regional Knowledge Centre as part of this initiative.
The video recording of the seminar can be accessed here:
Research Associate for Capacity Building
