Plastics are cheap, lightweight and easy
to make. Yet a boom in the production and use of plastics has contributed to a
huge quantity of waste in the oceans, proving fatal for creatures large and
small.
The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and
Malaysia, collectively generates 8.9 million tons of mismanaged plastic waste
every year. Indonesia, for instance, contributes 3.2 million tons, with half of
it ending up in the seas.
Addressing these concerns, leaders from
ASEAN adopted in June the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in
ASEAN Region. They also welcomed the ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine
Debris, which includes the development of national and regional action plans to
prevent and reduce marine debris in the ASEAN region.
Only 9 percent of the world's 9 billion
tons of plastics that are produced are recycled. If the current consumption and
waste management practices continue, there will be about 12 billion tons of
plastic waste in landfills and oceans by 2050.
If the production continues at the same
rate, then the plastics industry may account for 20 percent of the world's
total oil consumption, thus contributing to climate change.
Earlier this year, Thailand began to
implement policy frameworks aimed at introducing a blanket ban on several types
of plastics by 2025. The policy road maps coincide with recent private sector
efforts to implement their own recycling measures.
These efforts resulted in innovations
like the use of plant-based and biodegradable polymers, as well as improved
technologies for recycling plastic and reducing plastic toxicity, thus laying
the foundation for a circular economy-an economic system that aims at
eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.
Three building blocks support the
circular economy: material and product design, new business models, and
enabling policy conditions.
Due to several existing barriers, the
transition to a circular economy in ASEAN has been very slow. A recent study on
the circular economy by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia
found that businesses, in particular, were hampered by barriers to increasing
resource efficiency through a circular economy approach. These barriers are
institutional, organizational, behavioral and market-based, all combining into
a web of constraints.
A wider range of policy measures is
needed at various levels, including changes in the regulatory framework, public
spending and consumer engagement.
The circular economy for plastics
requires a cross-sectoral effort, built around people's needs, and should be
built together with companies and local governments.
A large number of prevailing policies
can contribute to circular economy objectives. Existing policies related to
waste, resource efficiency, extended producer responsibility, eco-design and
green labeling are of high significance. This is because product design and
reusable content can trigger changes in the production process that are
beneficial for product reuse and remanufacturing.
A major concern, however, is that these
policies can often conflict with each other. For instance, companies that want
to use recycled plastic materials in their products may still choose
alternative virgin materials because of uncertainties about whether recycled
materials will comply with the existing standards for eco-labeling.
Between 2016 and 2018, ASEAN saw plastic
waste imports grow by 171 percent, from 836,529 tons to 2.27 million tons. This
came after China's announcement in 2017 that it would stop accepting imports of
certain classes of waste that come from recycled streams in other parts of the
world.
This implies that a big part of the
policy task for ASEAN in the coming years is to review and address conflicts
among existing trade policies on imports and demand for primary materials,
recycling of secondhand products, and harmonization of quality standards.
One element of the circular economy
seems largely undisputed: It helps to minimize the environmental and economic
impact of resource scarcity.
In light of increasing raw material
supply risks and emerging signs of scarcity, improving the productivity of
materials is a crucial competitive response. For these reasons, ASEAN and East
Asian governments such as those of China, Japan and South Korea should look at
the circular economy model not only to hedge against resource scarcity, but
also as an engine for innovation and growth.
The author is senior economist at the
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia based in Jakarta. The views
do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.