Southeast and East Asia plays a central role in the global effort to tackle plastic pollution, given its substantial share of the global economy, strategic position in plastics value chains and rapidly rising plastics demand.
Plastic leakage in Southeast and East Asia could fall by more than 95% by 2050—if governments adopt stronger policies. That is the central message of a new OECD report, which argues the region can almost eliminate plastic leakage through comprehensive action across the plastics lifecycle, delivering lasting benefits for people, the environment and the economy.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
A Region at the Center of the Plastics Economy
Southeast and East Asia plays a central role in the global effort to tackle plastic pollution, given its substantial share of the global economy, strategic position in plastics value chains and rapidly rising plastics demand, according to the OECD. The report—The Regional Plastics Outlook for Southeast and East Asia—focuses on ASEAN Plus Three (APT)countries: the 10 ASEAN Member States, China, Japan and Korea.
Plastic use in the region has surged almost nine-fold since 1990, reaching 152 million tonnes (Mt) in 2022. The region now accounts for almost one-third of global plastics use, with annual per capita consumption ranging from 32 kg in lower middle-income countries to over 100 kg in many upper middle- and high-income APT economies.
In 2022, the region leaked 8.4 Mt of plastics into the environment—over one-third of the global total—including 3.5 Mt from ASEAN Member States and 4.9 Mt from China. Plastic leakage refers to any plastic that enters the terrestrial or aquatic environment due to inadequate collection and disposal, including littered or openly dumped waste.
The 2050 Baseline vs. a High-Ambition Path
By 2050, plastics use is projected to reach 280 Mt per year, with plastic leakage rising 68% to 14.1 Mt per year under baseline trends. The report’s High Stringency scenario shows how comprehensive action could reduce plastics use by 28%, more than quadruple regional recycling rates to 54%, and reduce mismanaged waste by 97% by 2050, compared with the baseline.
“Southeast and East Asia can become a global model in tackling plastic pollution and advancing circular economy solutions for plastic waste,” said OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. “With stronger regional co-operation, ambitious policies and targeted investments, the region can almost completely eliminate plastic leakage by 2050, delivering lasting benefits for people, the environment and the global economy.”
The estimated macroeconomic cost of the High Stringency pathway—0.8% of regional GDP in 2050—is unevenly distributed. ASEAN lower middle-income countries face a steeper cost (2.8% of GDP on average), underscoring the need for enhanced regional co-operation and international support.
Progress Is Real, But Pressure Is Rising
Despite rising waste generation that outpaces waste management in a region diverse in income levels, plastics use and management capacity, significant progress is being made. Most APT countries have adopted national action plans on plastic pollution and stepped up regional co-operation. The region’s average recycling rate (12%) already exceeds the global average (10%), and efforts are underway to improve waste segregation at source, reduce littering, and increase the use of recycled materials in manufacturing.
Effective strategies can be tailored to local contexts and reinforced by investments in waste collection and recycling infrastructure, stronger regulatory frameworks, clear policy signals to unlock investments, and support for the integration of informal waste workers. Together, these measures define the policy mix the report associates with cutting leakage by more than 95% by mid-century.
The Southeast and East Asia’s share of global plastics use gives it outsized influence over the world’s plastic future. The OECD’s outlook offers a positive, practical pathway: stronger policies, deeper regional co-operation and targeted investments that reduce use, raise recycling, and nearly eliminate leakage by 2050. The choice, the report suggests, is not whether change is possible—but how quickly the region moves to make it real.
Read the full report here.
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