17 June 2021: ERIA and the ASEAN Secretariat co-hosted a virtual public forum to discuss how policies can support the private sector in combatting marine plastic debris, marking the fourth event in the ASEAN On Point webinar series.
The forum gathered representatives from governments, research institutions, academia, international organisations, consultancy agencies, and the private sector. It acknowledged private companies as important stakeholders in solving the plastic waste problem, and aimed to raise awareness about the marine plastic issue in the ASEAN+3 region, share innovate business practices by leading regional companies, and identify policy options to further promote private sector good practices in addressing plastic waste.
H E Kung Phoak, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, opened the forum saying rapid coastal development and exponential population growth are the key explanations for the threat posed by marine plastics in the ASEAN region.
To address this issue, the business sector can play an important role by enhancing producer responsibility, promoting sustainable consumption and production, reducing single use plastics, and much more. All these efforts should be combined with strong policies that work in tandem for them to be effective and sustainable, he said.
Mr Koji Hachiyama, ERIA Chief Operating Officer, in his opening remarks acknowledged East and Southeast Asian countries are among the biggest contributors of plastic leakage into the oceans, and in response ERIA established the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre) in 2019. The Centre recently launched an online platform to collect and disseminate positive business activities reducing plastic waste and marine plastic pollution in the ASEAN+3 region.
The platform is expected to reduce information gaps, record positive commitments undertaken by the private sector, and promote intra-regional information exchange. Mr Hachiyama expressed his wish that the forum could further accelerate the recognition and expansion of the platform.
Representatives from four inspiring private companies from the ASEAN+3 region were invited to share their experiences on how their businesses came about and the challenges they have faced and are/or still facing. This was followed by a Q&A discussion on policy instruments that can encourage businesses like theirs to succeed in the ASEAN+3 context.
Ms Supatchaya Techachoochert, co-founder of Refill Station, the first bulk store in Thailand, was the first speaker. Refill Station shops can be found today in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam, and customers can buy daily products such as shampoo and detergent by refilling their own containers to reduce plastic waste. Other eco-friendly items, such as reusable bags and eco-friendly sanitary pads, can also be purchased.
Ms Techachoochert said one of her missions is to demonstrate by example that it is possible to run a business with environmental principles. She hopes her business can also educate young children and the community to be more aware of plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
Mr Tommy Tjiptadjaja, co-founder and CEO of Greenhope Indonesia, said there is no single silver bullet to addressing the plastic waste problem, and spoke of the 4R principle on which Greenhope’s business is based: reduce, reuse, recycle, and return to earth.
He started his eco-friendly business with his co-founder after seeing the prevalence of plastic waste, and being assured that alternative plastic products that return to earth (biodegradable bags and other products) could address the missing link. Mr Tjiptadjaja encouraged entrepreneurs to keep innovating new technologies to address plastic pollution, governments to stimulate innovation by providing a contextual framework, facilitating pilot projects, and NGOs and consumer brands to promote positive behavioural changes.
Mr Kentaro Inukai, President of Pana-Chemical, then spoke on J-EPS recycling, which was introduced by his company 45 years ago in Japan to turn Styrofoam (EPS) waste into recyclable ingots. Some 2,000 affiliated companies in Japan now regularly compress their Styrofoam waste and sell to Pana-Chemical, which the company turns into recyclable plastic resources.
Mr Inukai’s mission is to establish a new perception of the recycling business as a resource plastic manufacturer, and move away from the traditional image of waste plastic trader. He also leads the Resource Plastic Association, which certifies other recycling businesses that also produce high-quality, sorted, and ready to be recycled plastic material.
Ms Iris Chang, Grab Director of Social Impact and Sustainability, highlighted GrabFood’s initiatives on online food delivery in Southeast Asia. By introducing the default no single-use cutlery setting in the GrabFood app, the company has successfully saved 95 million sets of plastic cutlery in just six months. Merchant partners are also encouraged to replace plastic packaging with more sustainable materials, such as paper and bagasse, and/or provide reusable containers, but this initiative has seen less visible success.
Ms Chang said that giving the option to voluntarily adopt such initiatives, which is usually more expensive either for the customer or for the restaurant, is not effective, and an incentive mechanism is needed if we are to create a paradigm shift.
The panel discussion offered valuable insights into the challenges companies are encountering in reducing plastic waste, and highlighted policy options to be considered. The discussion concluded that enabling policies are needed to make such green investments more accessible, not only to big enterprises but also to small and medium-sized enterprises.
It also said that given the transboundary nature of the issue, the enabling policies must not be limited to the local and national level. ASEAN+3 regional level policy is also needed, and the recently launched ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States (2021-2025) is a good framework for taking into account private sector input and involvement.
Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA Research Fellow, in his closing remarks summarised policy options proposed during the discussion to stimulate private sector initiatives in combatting marine plastic debris. These include: the adoption and enforcement of waste policies, imposing responsibilities on waste generators, the standardisation of biodegradable plastics, and awareness raising campaigns and education.
A summary report, which includes the policy options recommended during the webinar and the results of the follow-up survey, will be produced and shared with the relevant stakeholders in ASEAN+3 countries.
Read more: AoP Report: How Policies Can Support the Private Sector in Combatting Marine Plastic Debris
Communication Desk
17 June 2021: ERIA and the ASEAN Secretariat co-hosted a virtual public forum to discuss how policies can support the private sector in combatting marine plastic debris, marking the fourth event in the ASEAN On Point webinar series.
The forum gathered representatives from governments, research institutions, academia, international organisations, consultancy agencies, and the private sector. It acknowledged private companies as important stakeholders in solving the plastic waste problem, and aimed to raise awareness about the marine plastic issue in the ASEAN+3 region, share innovate business practices by leading regional companies, and identify policy options to further promote private sector good practices in addressing plastic waste.
H E Kung Phoak, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, opened the forum saying rapid coastal development and exponential population growth are the key explanations for the threat posed by marine plastics in the ASEAN region.
To address this issue, the business sector can play an important role by enhancing producer responsibility, promoting sustainable consumption and production, reducing single use plastics, and much more. All these efforts should be combined with strong policies that work in tandem for them to be effective and sustainable, he said.
Mr Koji Hachiyama, ERIA Chief Operating Officer, in his opening remarks acknowledged East and Southeast Asian countries are among the biggest contributors of plastic leakage into the oceans, and in response ERIA established the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (the Centre) in 2019. The Centre recently launched an online platform to collect and disseminate positive business activities reducing plastic waste and marine plastic pollution in the ASEAN+3 region.
The platform is expected to reduce information gaps, record positive commitments undertaken by the private sector, and promote intra-regional information exchange. Mr Hachiyama expressed his wish that the forum could further accelerate the recognition and expansion of the platform.
Representatives from four inspiring private companies from the ASEAN+3 region were invited to share their experiences on how their businesses came about and the challenges they have faced and are/or still facing. This was followed by a Q&A discussion on policy instruments that can encourage businesses like theirs to succeed in the ASEAN+3 context.
Ms Supatchaya Techachoochert, co-founder of Refill Station, the first bulk store in Thailand, was the first speaker. Refill Station shops can be found today in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam, and customers can buy daily products such as shampoo and detergent by refilling their own containers to reduce plastic waste. Other eco-friendly items, such as reusable bags and eco-friendly sanitary pads, can also be purchased.
Ms Techachoochert said one of her missions is to demonstrate by example that it is possible to run a business with environmental principles. She hopes her business can also educate young children and the community to be more aware of plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
Mr Tommy Tjiptadjaja, co-founder and CEO of Greenhope Indonesia, said there is no single silver bullet to addressing the plastic waste problem, and spoke of the 4R principle on which Greenhope’s business is based: reduce, reuse, recycle, and return to earth.
He started his eco-friendly business with his co-founder after seeing the prevalence of plastic waste, and being assured that alternative plastic products that return to earth (biodegradable bags and other products) could address the missing link. Mr Tjiptadjaja encouraged entrepreneurs to keep innovating new technologies to address plastic pollution, governments to stimulate innovation by providing a contextual framework, facilitating pilot projects, and NGOs and consumer brands to promote positive behavioural changes.
Mr Kentaro Inukai, President of Pana-Chemical, then spoke on J-EPS recycling, which was introduced by his company 45 years ago in Japan to turn Styrofoam (EPS) waste into recyclable ingots. Some 2,000 affiliated companies in Japan now regularly compress their Styrofoam waste and sell to Pana-Chemical, which the company turns into recyclable plastic resources.
Mr Inukai’s mission is to establish a new perception of the recycling business as a resource plastic manufacturer, and move away from the traditional image of waste plastic trader. He also leads the Resource Plastic Association, which certifies other recycling businesses that also produce high-quality, sorted, and ready to be recycled plastic material.
Ms Iris Chang, Grab Director of Social Impact and Sustainability, highlighted GrabFood’s initiatives on online food delivery in Southeast Asia. By introducing the default no single-use cutlery setting in the GrabFood app, the company has successfully saved 95 million sets of plastic cutlery in just six months. Merchant partners are also encouraged to replace plastic packaging with more sustainable materials, such as paper and bagasse, and/or provide reusable containers, but this initiative has seen less visible success.
Ms Chang said that giving the option to voluntarily adopt such initiatives, which is usually more expensive either for the customer or for the restaurant, is not effective, and an incentive mechanism is needed if we are to create a paradigm shift.
The panel discussion offered valuable insights into the challenges companies are encountering in reducing plastic waste, and highlighted policy options to be considered. The discussion concluded that enabling policies are needed to make such green investments more accessible, not only to big enterprises but also to small and medium-sized enterprises.
It also said that given the transboundary nature of the issue, the enabling policies must not be limited to the local and national level. ASEAN+3 regional level policy is also needed, and the recently launched ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States (2021-2025) is a good framework for taking into account private sector input and involvement.
Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA Research Fellow, in his closing remarks summarised policy options proposed during the discussion to stimulate private sector initiatives in combatting marine plastic debris. These include: the adoption and enforcement of waste policies, imposing responsibilities on waste generators, the standardisation of biodegradable plastics, and awareness raising campaigns and education.
A summary report, which includes the policy options recommended during the webinar and the results of the follow-up survey, will be produced and shared with the relevant stakeholders in ASEAN+3 countries.
Read more: AoP Report: How Policies Can Support the Private Sector in Combatting Marine Plastic Debris
Communication Desk
