Phase II of ‘Breaking the Plastic Habit in Asia’ to Expand Use of Behavioural Insights

The Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, in collaboration with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, will officially launch Phase II of the ‘Breaking the Plastic Habit in Asia’ project.

The Regional
Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris, in collaboration with the Institute
for Global Environmental Strategies, will officially launch Phase II of the
‘Breaking the Plastic Habit in Asia’ project.

We invite you
to join the launch event:

Date: October
18, 2024

Time: 10:00 AM
– 12:00 PM Jakarta Time

Registration: https://crm.iges.or.jp/public/application/add/5479

The public
event will convene leaders from government, academia, civil society, and
international organizations to share best practices, key findings, and explore
collaboration opportunities for sustainable reduction of
plastic waste in ASEAN. The event will feature keynote addresses by environmental
leaders and presentations from pilot teams representing six ASEAN countries.
Discussions will focus on how Behavioural Insights can drive long-term changes
in plastic consumption habits.

Phase I
successfully tested innovative approaches to reduce plastic waste in ASEAN
countries by `nudging` people
not to use single-use plastics. Examples
include no free plastic bags, no free plastic straws, separate garbage boxes
with display of segregated items, and awareness raising campaigns In Phase II,
the project will further explore how behavioural changes can complement
existing policies, such as bans and taxes. A new measurement framework will
also be introduced to evaluate the effectiveness of ‘the Behavioural Insights
interventions. This phase will produce practical tools and case studies to
guide policymakers, businesses, and civil society in implementing behaviour-centred
solutions.

A
capacity-building workshop on 16-17 October 2024 will prepare selected partner
organizations to implement local projects from January to August 2025. The
implementing partners for Phase II include:

· From Cambodia, Ministry of Environment

· From Indonesia, Center for Southeast Asian Studies

· From Lao PDR, Econox Laos – Plastic Free Laos Label

· From the Philippines, Institute of Civil
Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman

· From Thailand, Department of Environmental Science,
Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University

· From Viet Nam, Nopa

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES