Learning Session at IUCN World Conservation Congress
In collaboration with IUCN, WWF Plastic Smart Cities (PSC) hosted a learning session titled “From Negotiation to Action: What a Global Plastic Policy Means for Local Governments” at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 11th October 2025. The session brought together representatives from IUCN, The Pew Charitable Trusts (PEW), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and government leaders from South Korea and Guatemala. The core focus was to address a vital question: how do we move from global plastic-policy negotiations to impactful, scalable implementation by local governments?
The discussion focused on how local governments are in a critical position to take immediate action, despite the ongoing global plastic treaty negotiations. Their actions are pivotal in shaping robust circular systems by implementing a scalable approach. Achieving this success, however, requires integrated approaches that encompass sound policy, capacity strengthening, monitoring, and practical economic models.
Back-to-Back Momentum: Launching the Behaviour Lab Partnership in ASEAN
The ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution (ACCPP) 2025 was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 14th October 2025. During the “The Science of Change: Launching the Behaviour Lab Partnership in ASEAN” panel, WWF PSC, together with four founding partners, launched the Behavioural Lab Partnership for Plastic Waste Reduction in ASEAN. In collaboration with Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and Rare, the Behaviour Lab Partnership aims to:
- Promote knowledge exchange and joint learning within and between the public, private, and civil sectors.
- Strengthen inter-organisational collaboration across the ASEAN region in support of sustainable plastics behaviour change.
- Co-develop materials that support policy change, public awareness, sustainable business models, and capacity building across sectors.
The discussion surfaced capacity gaps amongst implementers at local and global levels and explored solutions to strengthen behaviour-change interventions. This collaborative platform is expected to help close behavioural change gaps related to plastic use and waste management, highlighting the roles of policymakers, businesses, and civil society alike. WWF also shared inspiring behaviour-change stories from across the PSC network, expressing optimism about scaling successful approaches to other geographies.
