Singapore, 18 April 2024: The ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia) Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris hosted a webinar entitled "Toward Plastic Circularity: Good Practices from Singapore" to provide a platform to share and exchange insights on private sector efforts to promote plastics circularity in Singapore. The seminar was organized using a hybrid format whereby speakers gathered for an in-person discussion at the Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel in Singapore with a total of 156 attendees on Zoom, YouTube, or in person. The online participants came from 10 ASEAN countries along with 8 additional countries in Asia Pacific, South Asia, Africa and South America.
Moderated by Ms. Melissa Cardenas of Environweave, the seminar began with welcome remarks from Mr. Reo Kawamura, Director of the Regional Knowledge Centre. Mr. Reo Kawamura noted the importance of engaging the private sector, stating that, “Given the roles it plays in plastic production and circulation, the private sector is inevitably one of the most significant stakeholders in finding comprehensive solutions to plastic waste challenges”.
This view was echoed by Mr. Santhosh Manivannan, Director of Policy Division at the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore, who in his opening remarks mentioned, “the importance of the discourse on plastic circularity not just for policymakers, but for the wider community, including our private sector and especially our private sector businesses”.
Mr. Michikazu Kojima, Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Issues at ERIA, opened the panel discussion by providing an overview of EPR schemes in the ASEAN region, highlighting the deposit refund scheme which will be implemented in Singapore starting from July 2025. On this topic, he further elaborated on the rationale, preparations, and buildup towards the scheme.
As a comparison to practices in Singapore, Mr. Roy Andy Panjaitan, Economic Cooperation and Private Sector Development Advisor at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Indonesia briefly introduced the EPR policy in Indonesia and delved into GIZ’s programs to support its implementation in two of their project sites, highlighting opportunities and challenges from their experiences.
Mr. Jeryl Yep, Co-founder and Innovation Lead at Semula Pte Ltd, summarized the start-up’s approach using the quote “problems are just opportunities that haven’t presented themselves”. Through utilizing plastic waste as raw materials for furniture, Semula attempts to simultaneously tackle two environmental problems by reducing the amount of waste going to the landfills and reducing the pressure on the environment from resource extraction.
In his presentation, Mr. Jerid Soo, Assistant General Manager of Pacific International Lines (PTE) recommended actionable levers towards circularity, starting from general mitigation steps that every company can do before delving into specific levers that the logistics and transportation industry actors can contribute at the industry and sectoral levels.
Ms. Yee Shien Su, Partnerships Manager at Zero Waste SG, discussed the lessons learned and best practices from their Bring Your Own (BYO) Singapore campaign where consumers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags, bottles, or containers when shopping. One of the points highlighted was the importance of communicating not only to the consumers, but also the cashiers and staff who will be at the frontlines of implementing the campaign.
After the panel discussion, all the panel speakers, along with Mr. Kawamura (ERIA), Mr. Manivannan (NEA), and Ms. Huileng Tan, Executive Director of Zero Waste SG, participated in a discussion session during which online participants on Zoom enthusiastically posted many questions for the speakers. During this opportunity, Ms. Tan mentioned Zero Waste SG’s role in creating a better understanding of consumer perceptions and nuances to support the implementation of plastic reduction regulations.
In the spirit of continued knowledge and experience sharing, the seminar ended with an invitation to register on the Regional Knowledge Center’s online Private Sector Platform (PSP). The Regional Knowledge Center’s Knowledge Management Associate, Ms. Elsa Noviani, encouraged private sector actors to register on the platform for an opportunity showcase their products, services, and technologies that are contributing to plastic waste reduction. This invitation was reiterated in Mr. Kawamura’s closing remarks, which emphasized the importance of collaborations between the public and private sectors, including through the Regional Knowledge Centre’s PSP.
The Private Sector Initiatives to Reduce Marine Plastics Seminar Series is one of the Regional Knowledge Centre’s flagship programs which aims to promote private sector actors’ innovative practices in increasing plastic circularity and reducing plastic waste in AMS. The seminar in Singapore marks the 8 th edition and AMS visited by the Regional Knowledge Centre as part of this series and was conducted in collaboration with the NEA and the GIZ “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs” (3RproMar) Partnership Program and supported by the Singapore Environment Council.
3RproMar (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs) is an ASEAN-German cooperation project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat. In 2023, 3RproMar launched its Regional Knowledge Hub for Marine Litter Prevention in ASEAN. This partnership unites ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, AIT’s Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific, and NIVA’s International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution. The goal is to disseminate scientific insights and best practices to support informed decision-making in the region.
Read media coverage of the event at: Borneo Terkini, News24 Philippines, Warnaplus, Boracay Island News Network, Rapport Philippines, Words Vietnam, The Pop Blog, Dug Out Philippines, Pasbana, and Thailand Business News
Research Associate
Singapore, 18 April 2024: The ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia) Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris hosted a webinar entitled "Toward Plastic Circularity: Good Practices from Singapore" to provide a platform to share and exchange insights on private sector efforts to promote plastics circularity in Singapore. The seminar was organized using a hybrid format whereby speakers gathered for an in-person discussion at the Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel in Singapore with a total of 156 attendees on Zoom, YouTube, or in person. The online participants came from 10 ASEAN countries along with 8 additional countries in Asia Pacific, South Asia, Africa and South America.
Moderated by Ms. Melissa Cardenas of Environweave, the seminar began with welcome remarks from Mr. Reo Kawamura, Director of the Regional Knowledge Centre. Mr. Reo Kawamura noted the importance of engaging the private sector, stating that, “Given the roles it plays in plastic production and circulation, the private sector is inevitably one of the most significant stakeholders in finding comprehensive solutions to plastic waste challenges”.
This view was echoed by Mr. Santhosh Manivannan, Director of Policy Division at the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore, who in his opening remarks mentioned, “the importance of the discourse on plastic circularity not just for policymakers, but for the wider community, including our private sector and especially our private sector businesses”.
Mr. Michikazu Kojima, Senior Research Fellow on Environmental Issues at ERIA, opened the panel discussion by providing an overview of EPR schemes in the ASEAN region, highlighting the deposit refund scheme which will be implemented in Singapore starting from July 2025. On this topic, he further elaborated on the rationale, preparations, and buildup towards the scheme.
As a comparison to practices in Singapore, Mr. Roy Andy Panjaitan, Economic Cooperation and Private Sector Development Advisor at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Indonesia briefly introduced the EPR policy in Indonesia and delved into GIZ’s programs to support its implementation in two of their project sites, highlighting opportunities and challenges from their experiences.
Mr. Jeryl Yep, Co-founder and Innovation Lead at Semula Pte Ltd, summarized the start-up’s approach using the quote “problems are just opportunities that haven’t presented themselves”. Through utilizing plastic waste as raw materials for furniture, Semula attempts to simultaneously tackle two environmental problems by reducing the amount of waste going to the landfills and reducing the pressure on the environment from resource extraction.
In his presentation, Mr. Jerid Soo, Assistant General Manager of Pacific International Lines (PTE) recommended actionable levers towards circularity, starting from general mitigation steps that every company can do before delving into specific levers that the logistics and transportation industry actors can contribute at the industry and sectoral levels.
Ms. Yee Shien Su, Partnerships Manager at Zero Waste SG, discussed the lessons learned and best practices from their Bring Your Own (BYO) Singapore campaign where consumers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags, bottles, or containers when shopping. One of the points highlighted was the importance of communicating not only to the consumers, but also the cashiers and staff who will be at the frontlines of implementing the campaign.
After the panel discussion, all the panel speakers, along with Mr. Kawamura (ERIA), Mr. Manivannan (NEA), and Ms. Huileng Tan, Executive Director of Zero Waste SG, participated in a discussion session during which online participants on Zoom enthusiastically posted many questions for the speakers. During this opportunity, Ms. Tan mentioned Zero Waste SG’s role in creating a better understanding of consumer perceptions and nuances to support the implementation of plastic reduction regulations.
In the spirit of continued knowledge and experience sharing, the seminar ended with an invitation to register on the Regional Knowledge Center’s online Private Sector Platform (PSP). The Regional Knowledge Center’s Knowledge Management Associate, Ms. Elsa Noviani, encouraged private sector actors to register on the platform for an opportunity showcase their products, services, and technologies that are contributing to plastic waste reduction. This invitation was reiterated in Mr. Kawamura’s closing remarks, which emphasized the importance of collaborations between the public and private sectors, including through the Regional Knowledge Centre’s PSP.
The Private Sector Initiatives to Reduce Marine Plastics Seminar Series is one of the Regional Knowledge Centre’s flagship programs which aims to promote private sector actors’ innovative practices in increasing plastic circularity and reducing plastic waste in AMS. The seminar in Singapore marks the 8 th edition and AMS visited by the Regional Knowledge Centre as part of this series and was conducted in collaboration with the NEA and the GIZ “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs” (3RproMar) Partnership Program and supported by the Singapore Environment Council.
3RproMar (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to Protect the Marine Environment and Coral Reefs) is an ASEAN-German cooperation project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat. In 2023, 3RproMar launched its Regional Knowledge Hub for Marine Litter Prevention in ASEAN. This partnership unites ERIA’s Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, AIT’s Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific, and NIVA’s International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution. The goal is to disseminate scientific insights and best practices to support informed decision-making in the region.
Read media coverage of the event at: Borneo Terkini, News24 Philippines, Warnaplus, Boracay Island News Network, Rapport Philippines, Words Vietnam, The Pop Blog, Dug Out Philippines, Pasbana, and Thailand Business News
Research Associate
