Numerous Asian nations have instituted national regulations or prohibitions regarding single-use plastics. Bangladesh notably led the charge with its ban on plastic bags in 2002, predating widespread recognition of the issue. China followed suit in 2020, introducing a phased ban in late 2020 and concluding in 2025. India has also enacted a ban on single-use plastics slated for enforcement in 2022. Over 100 cities in Indonesia also have a regulation to ban certain types of single-use plastics for hotels, restaurants, cafes, and retail.
However, reuse enterprises are not yet supported by policy enablers nor adequate access to finance. Reuse has not gained scale because lack of standards and policies around reuse, lack of financing available to scale up reuse, and lack of consolidated action by reuse operators to push for an enabling environment. To strengthen reuse ambition and vision in Asia region, the Asia Reuse Consortium created to mainstream reuse systems became priority solutions to reduce plastic pollution in Asia region with its mission to promote reuse systems through co-development of reuse standards, capacity building for reuse entrepreneurs, and strengthening the region’s stance on reuse systems in the Global Plastics Treaty.
In this webinar, you'll find out more about how the Asia Reuse Consortium's members promote reuse in their region and analyze the potential and challenges of reuse ecosystems in the Asia region.
