Plastic Problems in Southeast Asia

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Artful Transformations: Southeast Asian Artists Embrace Trash as a Medium for Change

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In Southeast Asia, artists are transforming the region's trash into a source of inspiration. With over a million of tonnes of plastic waste entering the sea annually, these artists are advocating for sustainability through their work. They redefine beauty from discarded objects, addressing pollution issues creatively, inviting audiences to rethink their relationship with waste and embrace a more responsible approach to consumption.
By Philip Cornwel-Smith
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The Plastic Crisis Must Be on the Feminist Agenda

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An abundance of plastic is overwhelming our environment and threatening our health. There is a clear absence of gender-considerate approaches, even though women are significantly discriminated against, due to their increased exposure via household labor, work in the plastics industry, and use of menstrual plastic products. Female-led solutions to recycling and unpacking gender norms can contribute greatly to addressing this issue, though it remains a problem for everyone to deal with.
By Cinnamon Isabella Ernst
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Marine Plastic Pollution and Climate Change: Regional and National Action in Southeast Asia

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Urgent action is needed to deal with plastic litter in the ocean – and a sea change is occurring on this front. Some countries in Southeast Asia are developing plans of action for policy reform as a notable first step.  Legal frameworks that support the shift towards a circular economy approach in plastics, spur systemic changes in production and consumption, and promote positive individual behavior would help address the longer-term problem.
By Rocky Guzman

Climate Change and Plastic - Tara Buakamsri - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Southeast Asia

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We have to reduce plastic usage and consumption in our society
Tara Buakamsri
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Philippines: Banning Single-Use Plastics at the National Level and Strengthening Existing Laws Needed to Curb Plastic Pollution Crisis

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Single-use plastics have been in the spotlight for the past years because of its impact on our environment. It pollutes throughout its lifecycle beginning from extraction, refining, and ending in their disposal in the oceans and waterways, soil, and in the air we breathe through burning or incineration. In fact, it does not only impact our environment but also our health, livelihoods, food and wildlife. Further, plastics do not biodegrade. Instead they slowly break down into smaller pieces of plastic called microplastics. 
By Jed Alegado
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Plastics, Fossil Fuels and Desire: A Dive into the Complexities of a Plastic-Free World

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Plastic is a brilliant invention. Through its uses in medicine, public health and in urban planning, it has likely saved many lives. A right relationship with it begins with acknowledging the importance of plastic. At the same time, a lot of the ways we use plastic today is non-essential. In fact, one could argue that by designing plastic to be used in such a careless and thoughtless way is disrespectful of the invention itself. It could be out there saving lives, but instead it is used to carry potato chips for 12 minutes. It is not the plastic that is the problem, but the way we choose to design it, source it, produce it and use it.
By Melody Tay Xi Ching

Check our Web-dossier: Thailand's Plastic Challenge and Circular Economy

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Thailand’s Plastic Challenge and Circular Economy

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