ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution 2025: 'All Hands on Deck: Uniting Forces for a Sustainable Plastics Future' (Online)
Over the past few decades, plastic pollution has rapidly emerged as one of the most significant threats to the world’s oceans. Like other regions globally, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is also grappling with the adverse impacts of plastic pollution. This issue is particularly critical for ASEAN Member States (AMS) due to their reliance on the region’s marine resources for sustenance, economic activity, and the daily lives of their communities. While AMS have taken action both individually and collectively, it is imperative that collaborative efforts are sustained to prevent further harm and to address the issue effectively.
Against this backdrop, the ASEAN Conference on Combatting Plastic Pollution (ACCPP) was first held in 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia, under the country’s ASEAN Chairmanship. The conference aimed to provide a platform for stakeholders across the region to convene, exchange knowledge, and discuss collaborative strategies to tackle the issue. The full-day event brought together over 300 participants to discuss topics primarily related to the upcoming Global Plastics Treaty and the enabling conditions for a sustainable plastics economy. ACCPP 2023 resulted in the publication of an event report, which included actionable recommendations drawn from the conference discussions.
Building on the success of the inaugural conference, the subsequent ASEAN Chair, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), agreed to continue regional discussions by hosting ACCPP 2024 in Vientiane. For its second edition, the conference was extended to two days to accommodate additional sessions. Emphasising the need for innovative strategies to combat plastic pollution, this iteration successfully convened over 200 international participants. With the success of these consecutive conferences, the ACCPP is anticipated to become an annual event, officially recognised under the ASEAN Chairmanship.
The ACCPP 2025 will adopt the theme 'All Hands on Deck: Uniting Forces for a Sustainable Plastics Future' to highlight the diverse yet equally important contributions of various stakeholder groups in addressing plastic pollution in line with their respective mandates.