{"id":68421,"date":"2026-05-07T17:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T10:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/?p=68421"},"modified":"2026-05-07T18:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T11:05:03","slug":"addressing-the-systemic-plastic-crisis-in-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southeastasia\/press\/68421\/addressing-the-systemic-plastic-crisis-in-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Position Paper: Addressing the Systemic Plastic Crisis in Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Excavators work on the Bantargebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java. Bantargebang Landfill in Bekasi, Indonesia, is often described as the largest open-dumping landfill in Southeast Asia and one of the world’s biggest.
\u00a9 Jurnasyanto Sukarno \/ Greenpe<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The Urgent Crises of Waste and Plastic Pollution in Southeast Asia<\/h2>\n\n

The waste and plastic crises are an urgent regional issue with six out of ten ASEAN countries generating 31 million tonnes of plastic waste<\/a> annually. ASEAN accounts for 19% of plastic use<\/a> in the Southeast and East Asia region. These crises impact Southeast Asians with health harms<\/a> from plastic chemicals, plastic production, microplastics<\/a>, landfills<\/a>, and toxic pollution<\/a>. They also disrupt economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism. Scientists estimate a loss of 4-14% of global staple crops<\/a> due to microplastics, while estimated global losses to marine ecosystem services ranging from $500 billion to $2.5 trillion a year<\/a> due to marine plastic pollution. The escalating waste and plastic crises manifest as severe environmental, social, and economic injustices across Southeast Asia, disproportionately affecting vulnerable and marginalized groups<\/a>, such as low-income communities, women, fisherfolk, farmers and Indigenous Peoples. <\/p>\n\n

The sachet economy models and single-use formats prevalent in the region, propelled by corporation-led dependence on plastic and disposables, have driven waste volumes up, fueling a cycle of unmitigated pollution and harm. As plastic production and use unceasingly grows, Southeast Asia is faced with overflowing landfills, health risks, fatalities and economic shocks. In the Philippines and Indonesia, landfill collapses in 2026 have led to over 40 confirmed deaths, the loss of providers for families, lost income for waste workers earning daily wages, and significant costs to local governments<\/a>. Landfill fires in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines in recent years also reveal another harm – the production of toxic emissions of particulate matter and carcinogenic persistent organic pollutants, threatening the health of first responders and communities, as well as contaminating food systems<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

These are a tragic reminder of a failing waste management system overburdened by the overproduction of single-use plastics and the impunity of corporations profiting from pollution and environmental decline, all at the expense of Southeast Asians. The broader regional waste crisis stems from deep-seated systemic issues, specifically those rooted in a glaring lack of corporate accountability, and the absence of robust legal frameworks mandating a reduction in plastic production and use for corporations. <\/p>\n\n

A Systemic Issue of Fossil Fuel Dependency<\/h2>\n\n

The waste crisis is not an isolated waste management problem; it is a systemic byproduct of a linear economic model grounded in an extract-produce-dispose mindset. It is inextricably linked to fossil fuel with 99% of plastics originating from the petrochemical industrial complex.  <\/p>\n\n

\"Action<\/figure>\n\n

Our current economic instability is a direct result of a systemic and corporate-driven reliance on fossil fuels and their petrochemical derivatives. The current US\/Israel – Iran and Ukraine wars have disrupted petrochemical and fuel supply chains, triggering price volatility and rising costs for basic goods. <\/p>\n\n

This systemic reliance creates significant economic insecurity and long-term repercussions for local communities and entire nations. First, supply chain disruption and volatile energy prices linked to global fossil fuel-based systems and resource conflicts drive up the cost of fossil fuels and its derivatives, petrochemicals and plastics. This in turn increases the cost of logistics, transport and prices of commodities, as well as causing manufacturing disruptions. Second, reliance and disruption on petrochemical derivatives often results in inflation of essential goods, adding pressure on vulnerable communities and already strained government programs. Lastly, this reliance drives unsustainable resource consumption and locks in nations to long-term volatility, sacrificing communities and threatening economic growth. <\/p>\n\n

Ultimately, ASEAN must act to safeguard Southeast Asians and build a strong region. Transitioning away from fossil fuel dependency and its derivative plastic is a strategic necessity to stabilize local economies, strengthen countries\u2019 resilience, protect the health of future generations and safeguard the environment. A just transition to reuse systems and circular models offer more economic resilience to secure a future where human health and social equity are prioritized over corporate interests.<\/p>\n\n

Toward a Sustainable and Just Future<\/h2>\n\n

To \u2018navigate our future together\u2019, ASEAN leaders must safeguard human and environmental health, ensure corporate accountability, secure access to justice, and ensure economic resilience and peace in the region as follows:<\/p>\n\n

Chairman\u2019s Statement<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

We call on ASEAN to put people and planet first, above the interests of polluter and destructive industries ravaging the region. Systemic fossil fuel dependence must end and action must be taken to arrest plastic pollution. We call for the inclusion of crucial matters in the chair\u2019s statement, specifically: <\/p>\n\n