ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution

The ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution is a regional platform for stakeholders to convene, exchange knowledge, and explore collaborative strategies to address plastic pollution. This year’s conference was convened under the patronage of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as part of the Philippines ASEAN 2026 Chairship and was co-hosted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Africa (ERIA).

The Circulate Initiative’s Research Manager, Varun Vithalani, joined the panel discussion, “No Business Too Small: Mobilising ASEAN’s SMEs and Private Sector for a Circular Plastics Economy,” a session exploring viable and commercially achievable pathways for SMEs across ASEAN to participate in the circular economy. Drawing on the Plastics Circularity Investment Tracker, Varun shared insights into investment trends in the region and the extent to which capital is reaching SMEs compared with large-scale infrastructure projects.