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.

This year, the ACCPP 2025 will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, under the ASEAN Chairmanship of 2025. The event will take place under the patronage of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), Government of Malaysia.

ACCPP 2025 is co-hosted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), with support from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) of the World Economic Forum. The event is organised in collaboration with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS) of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).

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.

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