Seminar on ASEAN Plastic Policy Interventions and Implementation Experiences from Thailand

On 12 December 2024, Yunus Thailand , PXP Sustainability , and the Yunus Social Business Center at the Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute (CUSRI) co-hosted a seminar on ASEAN Plastic Policy Interventions and Implementation Experiences from Thailand. The seminar gathered over 40 representatives at the Chula Social Innovation Hub to exchange research findings on this important topic following recent international negotiations toward a global plastics treaty.

Prof. Dr. Pornanong Aramwit, Vice President of Chulalongkorn University, opened the event, calling for concerted attention to the complex issues around the plastics economy. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Unruan Leknoi of CUSRI noted Chula’s commitment to advancing a vision of Zero Waste, while Callum Mackenzie, Yunus Thailand’s Managing Director, highlighted the importance of research on upstream interventions to inform decision-making on the circularity transition.

PXP Sustainability and Yunus Thailand presented their joint policy research report on ASEAN mandatory and voluntary interventions, following a systematic process to identify initiatives affecting the upstream of the plastics value chain. The report provides a snapshot of 100 interventions along with a qualitative assessment on their effectiveness, considering policy effectiveness enabling factors introduced by the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth.

The panel discussion, moderated by Piya Kerdlap, Ph.D. of PXP Sustainability, featured expert panelists Mr. Suwan Nanthasarut (Department of Marine and Coastal Resources), Dr. Boonchanit Wongprapinkul (WWF Thailand), and Mr. Raja Asvanon ( SEI – Stockholm Environment Institute). They highlighted the need for policy reviews, community-based interventions, and systemic approaches to address the social impacts of global plastics trade and waste management. With emerging policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the transition to a circular plastics economy offers a key opportunity to learn from past interventions.

The seminar concluded with a presentation by Ms. Chadalak Samritthinanta – CUSRI’s researcher, presented a case study on waste separation behavior in Khlong Lat Luang communities, Samut Prakan Province, which pointed to the complementary roles of individual attitudes, education and social norms, and availability of infrastructure to influence collective action on responsible waste management within communities.

Access the full report by PXP Sustainability and Yunus Thailand here.