The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss needed to be addressed for humanity to have a viable future on this planet. Plastic pollution is a key contributor to this crisis and choked our seas, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods. It was a by-product of an essentially linear system in which over 75% of the material value of plastic was lost following a short first-use cycle. Transitioning from this linear system to a circular economy demanded impactful solutions across the plastic value chain from designing, producing, and consuming products to post-consumer waste management. Over the last three years, SEA of Solutions (SoS) – SEA circular’s annual flagship event – served as an avenue to exchange best practices, enable meaningful dialogue, and empower stakeholders to promote circularity in the plastic value chain within South-East Asia. SoS 2022 spotlighted unique and impactful solutions along the plastic value chain, covering three cross-cutting themes – Innovation, Inclusion, and Collaboration. The spotlighted solutions exhibited effective approaches to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, including:
Plastic avoidance and alternative solutions design;
Expanding lifecycle by reducing plastic usage at design and consumption stages; and
Removal and better recycling initiatives to allow new post-consumer applications.

Event