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Single-use plastics (SUPs) remain a major contributor to environmental degradation in ASEAN+3 despite a decade of national bans, regional declarations, and growing circular economy commitments. Yet most policy frameworks continue to rely on product-focused interventions – bans, charges, and recycling mandates – without adequately considering the behavioural drivers that shape everyday consumption, particularly in the post-COVID context. This Policy Brief draws on a survey of 1, 492 respondents across five Asian cities (Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Depok, Harbin, and Shanghai) conducted between 2022 and 2023. The findings reveal substantial disparities in weekly SUP consumption – ranging from 55 to 132 items per person – with Shanghai recording 2.4 times the levels observed in Hanoi and Depok. Across the five surveyed cities, about 56% of SUP items are disposed of without separation, while single-use face mask usage remains about 2.6 times as high as pre-pandemic levels. Demographic factors strongly influence consumption: shopping bags are widely used (higher amongst women but lower amongst higher-educated respondents), while on-the-go SUPs are higher amongst younger, male, and higher-educated individuals and are more pronounced in urban areas.
The evidence underscores that one-size-fits-all approaches are unlikely to achieve significant reductions. Instead, cities require tailored policy roadmaps that integrate behavioural insights, infrastructure reforms, demographic-targeted interventions, and circular economy mechanisms, supported by adaptive ASEAN+3 cooperation aligned with the emerging global plastics treaty. A post-COVID plastics policy framework must balance environmental sustainability with public health, local consumption cultures, and evolving economic activities such as food delivery and e-commerce.
Single-use plastics (SUPs) remain a major contributor to environmental degradation in ASEAN+3 despite a decade of national bans, regional declarations, and growing circular economy commitments. Yet most policy frameworks continue to rely on product-focused interventions – bans, charges, and recycling mandates – without adequately considering the behavioural drivers that shape everyday consumption, particularly in the post-COVID context. This Policy Brief draws on a survey of 1, 492 respondents across five Asian cities (Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Depok, Harbin, and Shanghai) conducted between 2022 and 2023. The findings reveal substantial disparities in weekly SUP consumption – ranging from 55 to 132 items per person – with Shanghai recording 2.4 times the levels observed in Hanoi and Depok. Across the five surveyed cities, about 56% of SUP items are disposed of without separation, while single-use face mask usage remains about 2.6 times as high as pre-pandemic levels. Demographic factors strongly influence consumption: shopping bags are widely used (higher amongst women but lower amongst higher-educated respondents), while on-the-go SUPs are higher amongst younger, male, and higher-educated individuals and are more pronounced in urban areas.
The evidence underscores that one-size-fits-all approaches are unlikely to achieve significant reductions. Instead, cities require tailored policy roadmaps that integrate behavioural insights, infrastructure reforms, demographic-targeted interventions, and circular economy mechanisms, supported by adaptive ASEAN+3 cooperation aligned with the emerging global plastics treaty. A post-COVID plastics policy framework must balance environmental sustainability with public health, local consumption cultures, and evolving economic activities such as food delivery and e-commerce.
Single-use plastics (SUPs) remain a major contributor to environmental degradation in ASEAN+3 despite a decade of national bans, regional declarations, and growing circular economy commitments. Yet most policy frameworks continue to rely on product-focused interventions – bans, charges, and recycling mandates – without adequately considering the behavioural drivers that shape everyday consumption, particularly in the post-COVID context. This Policy Brief draws on a survey of 1, 492 respondents across five Asian cities (Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Depok, Harbin, and Shanghai) conducted between 2022 and 2023. The findings reveal substantial disparities in weekly SUP consumption – ranging from 55 to 132 items per person – with Shanghai recording 2.4 times the levels observed in Hanoi and Depok. Across the five surveyed cities, about 56% of SUP items are disposed of without separation, while single-use face mask usage remains about 2.6 times as high as pre-pandemic levels. Demographic factors strongly influence consumption: shopping bags are widely used (higher amongst women but lower amongst higher-educated respondents), while on-the-go SUPs are higher amongst younger, male, and higher-educated individuals and are more pronounced in urban areas.
The evidence underscores that one-size-fits-all approaches are unlikely to achieve significant reductions. Instead, cities require tailored policy roadmaps that integrate behavioural insights, infrastructure reforms, demographic-targeted interventions, and circular economy mechanisms, supported by adaptive ASEAN+3 cooperation aligned with the emerging global plastics treaty. A post-COVID plastics policy framework must balance environmental sustainability with public health, local consumption cultures, and evolving economic activities such as food delivery and e-commerce.
