Jakarta, 6 May 2025: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs (3RproMar), an ASEAN–German cooperation project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat, convened its 4th Regional Workshop under the theme ‘Sustaining Impact: Results and Lessons from 3RproMar Implementation’. This last regional workshop focused on reporting and discussing the results, challenges, and lessons learned from the five year-long multi-level implementation of the project across ASEAN.
H.E. Pinsak Suraswadi, Chairperson of the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME) and Director-General of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department at Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, opened the workshop. He highlighted the role of 3RproMar in fostering strong partnerships, which contributed to the significant progress being made at local, national, and regional levels in addressing marine plastic pollution.
Echoing this sentiment, H.E. Ina Lepel, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, ASEAN, and Timor-Leste, also underscored 3RproMar’s success in uniting key stakeholders to advance circular economy in the region. She reiterated Germany’s commitment to deepening cooperation with ASEAN in protecting the environment. Reaffirming this commitment, Ms Ellen Kramer, Director of the Asia Division at GIZ, stated that GIZ will continue to provide technical support and contribute to knowledge exchange as well as regional dialogue through the next phase of 3RproMar.
Dr Vong Sok, Head of the Environment Division and Assistant Director of Sustainable Development Directorate at the ASEAN Secretariat, expressed his appreciation for the project’s impactful activities and outputs – including the capacity-building initiatives and technical guidelines. He also stressed the importance of sustaining impact through continued coordination and inclusive collaboration, especially as the project moves into its second phase.
In the first panel discussion of the regional workshop, the implementing partners at the local level – Kratie (Cambodia), Manado (Indonesia), Guimaras (the Philippines), and Soc Trang (Viet Nam) – shared the achievements and lessons learned from 3RproMar implementation in their respective areas.
In Kratie, Cambodia, the project successfully reduced plastic leakage into the environment by 82% thanks to a better waste collection system and the impact of behavioural change initiatives aimed at preventing illegal dumping and waste burning. Meanwhile, the implementing partner from Manado (Indonesia) underlined the importance of multi-sector interventions and the need for stronger regulatory clarity and coordination to scale up the models. Furthermore, a lack of awareness around waste segregation remains a key challenge in the city of Manado.
From Guimaras, the Philippines, the implementing partner reported improvements of the collection system at the barangay level, leading to a notable increase in the plastic recovery rate. Interestingly, Guimaras shares a similar challenge with Manado regarding community awareness about waste segregation – a key hurdle that requires behavioural change intervention. Finally, in Soc Trang, Viet Nam, education-centred interventions through school engagement activities have proved successful. Replicating this approach to scale up the impact is considered as the way forward.
The second panel addressed national-level implementation of 3RproMar across the four countries, with a focus on integrating project activities into national frameworks for marine litter prevention.
Cambodia showcased its ongoing campaigns – ‘Today, I don't use plastics’, ‘Clean Cambodia, Khmer Can Do!’, and ‘National Roads Without Plastic Waste’ – and elaborated some engagement tools being used to enhance youth participation, which is a key national component of 3RproMar implementation in the country. Meanwhile, Indonesia underscored how 3RproMar activities have supported the implementation of the Roadmap of Waste Reduction by Producers 2020–2029, which includes an analysis of policy development on waste reduction by producers and capacity building for women entrepreneurs and waste banks.
In the Philippines, the pilot activities related to plastic waste collection in municipalities have helped the government better assess local needs. The need to integrate the infrastructure with the informal sector was identified as a key lesson learned. Concurrently, Viet Nam reported the success of national stakeholder forums, baseline studies, and stakeholder mapping under the 3RproMar national component. Similar to the Philippines, Viet Nam also highlighted how instrumental the lessons from pilot activities were in informing national policy formulation.
At the regional level, 3RproMar has successfully conducted a series of activities aimed at strengthening regional collaboration in knowledge sharing. The activities include a series of regional workshops and webinars, as well as a partnership with three regional knowledge platforms to support knowledge-sharing activities.
In the third panel, Ms Riska Hasan, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at GIZ, highlighted the establishment of the 3RproMar Regional Knowledge Partnership for Marine Litter Prevention in ASEAN. Launched in 2023, the Regional Knowledge Partnership united ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, AIT-RRC.AP’s The kNowWaste Knowledge Platform, and NIVA’s International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution (IKHAPP) to optimise scientific knowledge sharing, aiming to support informed decision-making in the region.
Ms Ayako Mizuno, Programme Manager at ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre, discussed key achievements of the Centre under the 3RproMar Regional Knowledge Partnership. One notable success was enhanced knowledge sharing related to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on plastic and packaging. This was marked by the launch of the EPR information hub, which provides resources relevant to EPR on plastics and packaging, and the successful organisation of the ASEAN Member States Focal Point Workshop on EPR for plastic and packaging.
In addition to sharing their respective key achievements, representatives of IKHAPP of NIVA and kNowWaste of AIT–RRC.AP emphasised the importance of continuous synergy and collaboration to sustain the impact of this partnership. Dr Hans Nicolai Adam, Senior Research Scientist representing IKHAPP, called for coordinated and strategic use of the existing knowledge platforms to avoid duplication of work. Mr Bishal Bhari, Programme Officer of the Waste and Resource Management Cluster at AIT-RRC.AP, underlined opportunities for data integration to equip ASEAN Member States with the right tools to implement initiatives or policies on waste management.
In his closing remarks, Dr Vong Sok of the ASEAN Secretariat underscored the need for transparent and accountable reporting of findings, strategic multi-stakeholder engagement, and long-term sustainability of the initiatives. As 3RproMar prepares to launch its second phase, the ASEAN Secretariat reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the project, reinforcing its dedication to fostering impactful collaboration and ensuring sustainable initiatives in protecting marine environment across the region.
Also read: Promoting Knowledge Transfer for Marine Litter Prevention in ASEAN: GIZ 3RproMar Workshop
Knowledge Management Associate
Jakarta, 6 May 2025: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs (3RproMar), an ASEAN–German cooperation project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat, convened its 4th Regional Workshop under the theme ‘Sustaining Impact: Results and Lessons from 3RproMar Implementation’. This last regional workshop focused on reporting and discussing the results, challenges, and lessons learned from the five year-long multi-level implementation of the project across ASEAN.
H.E. Pinsak Suraswadi, Chairperson of the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME) and Director-General of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department at Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, opened the workshop. He highlighted the role of 3RproMar in fostering strong partnerships, which contributed to the significant progress being made at local, national, and regional levels in addressing marine plastic pollution.
Echoing this sentiment, H.E. Ina Lepel, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, ASEAN, and Timor-Leste, also underscored 3RproMar’s success in uniting key stakeholders to advance circular economy in the region. She reiterated Germany’s commitment to deepening cooperation with ASEAN in protecting the environment. Reaffirming this commitment, Ms Ellen Kramer, Director of the Asia Division at GIZ, stated that GIZ will continue to provide technical support and contribute to knowledge exchange as well as regional dialogue through the next phase of 3RproMar.
Dr Vong Sok, Head of the Environment Division and Assistant Director of Sustainable Development Directorate at the ASEAN Secretariat, expressed his appreciation for the project’s impactful activities and outputs – including the capacity-building initiatives and technical guidelines. He also stressed the importance of sustaining impact through continued coordination and inclusive collaboration, especially as the project moves into its second phase.
In the first panel discussion of the regional workshop, the implementing partners at the local level – Kratie (Cambodia), Manado (Indonesia), Guimaras (the Philippines), and Soc Trang (Viet Nam) – shared the achievements and lessons learned from 3RproMar implementation in their respective areas.
In Kratie, Cambodia, the project successfully reduced plastic leakage into the environment by 82% thanks to a better waste collection system and the impact of behavioural change initiatives aimed at preventing illegal dumping and waste burning. Meanwhile, the implementing partner from Manado (Indonesia) underlined the importance of multi-sector interventions and the need for stronger regulatory clarity and coordination to scale up the models. Furthermore, a lack of awareness around waste segregation remains a key challenge in the city of Manado.
From Guimaras, the Philippines, the implementing partner reported improvements of the collection system at the barangay level, leading to a notable increase in the plastic recovery rate. Interestingly, Guimaras shares a similar challenge with Manado regarding community awareness about waste segregation – a key hurdle that requires behavioural change intervention. Finally, in Soc Trang, Viet Nam, education-centred interventions through school engagement activities have proved successful. Replicating this approach to scale up the impact is considered as the way forward.
The second panel addressed national-level implementation of 3RproMar across the four countries, with a focus on integrating project activities into national frameworks for marine litter prevention.
Cambodia showcased its ongoing campaigns – ‘Today, I don't use plastics’, ‘Clean Cambodia, Khmer Can Do!’, and ‘National Roads Without Plastic Waste’ – and elaborated some engagement tools being used to enhance youth participation, which is a key national component of 3RproMar implementation in the country. Meanwhile, Indonesia underscored how 3RproMar activities have supported the implementation of the Roadmap of Waste Reduction by Producers 2020–2029, which includes an analysis of policy development on waste reduction by producers and capacity building for women entrepreneurs and waste banks.
In the Philippines, the pilot activities related to plastic waste collection in municipalities have helped the government better assess local needs. The need to integrate the infrastructure with the informal sector was identified as a key lesson learned. Concurrently, Viet Nam reported the success of national stakeholder forums, baseline studies, and stakeholder mapping under the 3RproMar national component. Similar to the Philippines, Viet Nam also highlighted how instrumental the lessons from pilot activities were in informing national policy formulation.
At the regional level, 3RproMar has successfully conducted a series of activities aimed at strengthening regional collaboration in knowledge sharing. The activities include a series of regional workshops and webinars, as well as a partnership with three regional knowledge platforms to support knowledge-sharing activities.
In the third panel, Ms Riska Hasan, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at GIZ, highlighted the establishment of the 3RproMar Regional Knowledge Partnership for Marine Litter Prevention in ASEAN. Launched in 2023, the Regional Knowledge Partnership united ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, AIT-RRC.AP’s The kNowWaste Knowledge Platform, and NIVA’s International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution (IKHAPP) to optimise scientific knowledge sharing, aiming to support informed decision-making in the region.
Ms Ayako Mizuno, Programme Manager at ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre, discussed key achievements of the Centre under the 3RproMar Regional Knowledge Partnership. One notable success was enhanced knowledge sharing related to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on plastic and packaging. This was marked by the launch of the EPR information hub, which provides resources relevant to EPR on plastics and packaging, and the successful organisation of the ASEAN Member States Focal Point Workshop on EPR for plastic and packaging.
In addition to sharing their respective key achievements, representatives of IKHAPP of NIVA and kNowWaste of AIT–RRC.AP emphasised the importance of continuous synergy and collaboration to sustain the impact of this partnership. Dr Hans Nicolai Adam, Senior Research Scientist representing IKHAPP, called for coordinated and strategic use of the existing knowledge platforms to avoid duplication of work. Mr Bishal Bhari, Programme Officer of the Waste and Resource Management Cluster at AIT-RRC.AP, underlined opportunities for data integration to equip ASEAN Member States with the right tools to implement initiatives or policies on waste management.
In his closing remarks, Dr Vong Sok of the ASEAN Secretariat underscored the need for transparent and accountable reporting of findings, strategic multi-stakeholder engagement, and long-term sustainability of the initiatives. As 3RproMar prepares to launch its second phase, the ASEAN Secretariat reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the project, reinforcing its dedication to fostering impactful collaboration and ensuring sustainable initiatives in protecting marine environment across the region.
Also read: Promoting Knowledge Transfer for Marine Litter Prevention in ASEAN: GIZ 3RproMar Workshop
Knowledge Management Associate
