SEA-MaP | Regional Behavior Change Communications (BCC) Strategy Playbook on Plastic and Plastic Waste in ASEAN
Plastic pollution remains a critical threat to the environment, public health, and economies across Southeast Asia, driven by persistent everyday behaviors like littering and a heavy reliance on single-use plastics. While awareness is growing, the transition to sustainable habits requires a deep understanding of the specific “enablers” and “barriers” that influence daily choices. This newly […]
WWF-Indonesia & YouthLab Indonesia Launches Youth Sustainability Index Report 2025
WWF-Indonesia Plastic Smart Cities and YouthLab Indonesia launched the Youth Sustainability Index Report 2025 at the Lestari Summit & Awards 2025, a collaborative platform organized by KG Media to bring together leaders, practitioners, academics, local communities, and innovators to shape Indonesia’s sustainability agenda. The data-driven report serves as a benchmark to measure the perceptions, behaviours, […]
Plastic Smart Cities at the IUCN World Conservation Congress & ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution
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, […]
SEI | A Waste Hero Alliance: Youth Visions for the inclusion and empowerment of informal waste workers in Asian Circular Cities
Focusing on five areas with an impact on the livelihoods of informal waste workers, this report presents key policy recommendations ideated by youth based on inputs from informal waste workers and feedback from other stakeholders. The Waste Hero Alliance is the result of an innovative multi-stakeholder policy dialogue series that connected informal waste workers and […]
Coastal Communities Drive Waste Collection and Recycling in Semporna Islands
Island Recycling Centers Enhance Waste Management in Three Islands in Semporna On Larapan Island and Omadal Island, the “Rumah Kitar Semula” or Recycling Centres have been successfully establishedto serve as collection points for recyclable materials under the islands’ waste management plans. Developed together with community-led action groups with funding from the European Union, and supported […]
ICLEI | City Practitioners Handbook: Reuse Starter Kit for Food and Beverages
Driven by changing lifestyles, increasing urbanization, and the rise of fast food, disposable packaging was marketed as hygienic, time-saving, and economically efficient. These items—plastic cutlery, expanded polystyrene (EPS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, symbolized progress and mobility in a society increasingly shaped by consumerism and on-the-go consumption patterns. Today, urban environments are overwhelmed by the […]
Rare, GEF, SGP, UNDP | Solutions to Plastic Pollution with Community-Based Behavior Change
Plastic pollution is a global crisis impacting natural systems, wildlife, and human health. Nations are currently negotiating a high-level treaty to coordinate efforts to reduce plastic use worldwide (Chen, Sulan et al., 2024). No single solution can solve this crisis. Tackling plastic pollution requires changes at every stage of production and use: governments must enact […]
Towards Circular Systems: Lessons Learned Plastic Smart Cities
This study captures learnings from a range of PSC pilot interventions conducted between 2018 and 2024 from five countries in East and Southeast Asia where we have had some of the longest history of engagement: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. However, the PSC programme has continued to expand globally and this study […]
Empowering Island Communities: Community-led Waste Management Plans in Action
WWF-Malaysia’s No Plastic in Nature (NPIN) initiative has been working in Sabah with local governments, community-based organisations, universities and local businesses to tackle mounting plastic pollution in its coastal and marine environments, particularly in Sempora, a coastal town that sits along the Celebes Sea and serves as the gateway to some of the most biodiverse […]
Mitigating Marine Debris in Viet Nam Program Report
The project aims to reduce marine plastic pollution through policy reform, public awareness, and practical solutions. Approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the project supports Viet Nam’s national action plan on marine plastic waste until 2030. Implemented across 7 cities/districts and 3 marine protected areas, the project emphasizes collaboration among government, businesses, […]