MALAYSIA, 24 July 2023 – New research by The Circulate Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the ocean plastic pollution challenge in emerging markets, has revealed insights into the crucial link between plastic waste management and climate change in Malaysia.

The “The Climate Benefits of Plastic Waste Management in India and Southeast Asia” report illustrates the potential of investing in effective plastic waste management and recycling across six regional markets, including Malaysia, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and combat climate change.

It draws on data from the latest edition of The Circulate Initiative’s Plastic Lifecycle Assessment Calculator for the Environment and Society (PLACES), the first open-access climate impact calculator that tracks the GHG emissions, energy and water consumption of plastic waste management and recycling solutions across South and Southeast Asia.

A global hotspot for plastic pollution leakage due to insufficient infrastructure, accurate data on plastic waste management solutions in Malaysia will be crucial to inform action plans in addressing plastic pollution and climate change.

Key takeaways include:

• Recycling all mismanaged plastic waste in Malaysia by 2030 can reduce GHG emissions by nine million tonnes, equivalent to taking over two million cars off the road for a year^[1].

• Open burning and incineration account for 62% of Malaysia’s total carbon footprint associated with plastic waste treatment. Diverting just one tonne of plastic waste from open burning in Malaysia towards proper collection and recycling can result in avoiding more than three tonnes of GHG emissions.
• Incineration and waste-to-energy approaches to plastic waste management in Malaysia can lead to almost half a million (0.4 million) tonnes of emissions in 2030; this can be avoided by opting for plastic waste recovery and recycling

In addition, the report revealed that recycling all mismanaged plastic waste across India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam would lead to 229 million tonnes in GHG emissions reduction by 2030, the equivalent of shutting down 61 coal-fired power plants for a year.

Developed in collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), PLACES now covers four additional markets, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, and provides updated data for India and Indonesia. A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) contributed as the research partner for the study and quantified the environmental impact of end-of-life pathways for plastic waste.

Since its launch in 2021, PLACES has been used by corporations, investors, recyclers, waste management service providers and city planners to generate market-specific data to quantify the environmental impact of waste management and recycling interventions.

1 Derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator

“Ongoing negotiations for the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution are putting the spotlight on the importance of circular economy solutions. Our research demonstrates that investing in effective plastic waste management and recycling can shift the dial to tackle plastic pollution and climate change simultaneously,” said The Circulate Initiative’s Research Director, Umesh Madhavan.

“With the addition of new markets, PLACES will support a broader scope of investors, local governments and corporations in the region to assess opportunities in the plastics circular economy based on their environmental impact.”

About The Circulate Initiative

The Circulate Initiative is a non-profit organization that works to solve the plastic pollution challenge and build circular and equitable economies across emerging markets. It delivers cutting-edge research, builds high-impact programs, and drives collective action with industry stakeholders including businesses, investors, and policymakers. For more information, please visit: https://www.thecirculateinitiative.org/ 

About The Plastic Lifecycle Assessment Calculator for the Environment and Society (PLACES) PLACES is an open-access GHG calculator that tracks the environmental impact of plastic waste management and recycling solutions that prevent plastic pollution in six countries, namely India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The tool allows users to assess the environmental impact of plastic waste management, recycling interventions and the extent to which investments in circularity can generate quantifiable climate benefits, specific to the unique characteristics of Asian waste management systems. For more information, please visit: https://www.thecirculateinitiative.org/ghg-calculator.