According to a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), plastic use in East and Southeast Asia has increased nearly ninefold in thirty years, rising from 17 million tonnes (Mt) in 1990 to 152 Mt in 2022.
Annual per capita plastic consumption in the region now stands at 67 kilograms, above the global average of 63 kilograms. It varies greatly depending on countries’ income levels: while it is only 29 kilograms in Indonesia, it reaches 73 kilograms in China, 102 kilograms in Japan, and 106 kilograms in South Korea.
More than half of the plastics used in East and Southeast Asia have a lifespan of less than five years, including 32% destined for packaging, most of which quickly turns into waste. Such waste in the region increased from 10 Mt in 1990 to 113 Mt in 2022, and now represents 29% of global plastic waste.
“A Major Environmental Burden”
“The region is a plastic pollution hotspot due to rising waste generation and insufficient waste management,” the OECD report notes. “The challenge is compounded by the region’s geography, which includes long, densely populated coastlines, rivers, and archipelagic countries, making plastic leakage into the environment more frequent.”
East and Southeast Asia were the source of 8.4 Mt of plastic leakage into the environment in 2022—more than one-third of the global total—with China alone accounting for more than half of that, at 4.9 Mt.
According to the OECD, the volume of plastic waste in the region is expected to more than double by 2050, reaching 242 Mt, largely due to packaging waste, which would rise from 49 Mt to 91 Mt. Meanwhile, annual plastic leakage into the environment could climb to 14.1 Mt.
“By the middle of the century,” the report highlights, “the total stock of plastics in the region’s rivers, coastal areas, and oceans could reach 181 Mt, representing 40% of the global stock—an enormous environmental burden for the planet.”
