Advancing an Inclusive Circular Economy and Just Transition
Southeast Asia is recognized as one of the fastest-growing economic regions worldwide, with its rapid urbanization, digital transformation, and integrated trade systems. This development comes with a heavy footprint: a surge in single-use plastics, discarded electronics, and industrial waste ending up in landfills and in marine ecosystems. Yet, a systemic shift is underway.
At the the ASEAN Regional Dialogue on Circular Economy, held under the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship, Member States, industry representatives, academe, civil society, development partners, and environmental leaders came together to send a clear message: the ASEAN region is ready to move away from a linear “take-make-dispose” model towards one anchored on circular production systems, resource efficiency, economic resilience, and social inclusion.
The Dialogue featured a series of sessions spanning national circular economy policies, the role of local governments, policy instruments such as EPR, investment opportunities and financing mechanisms, business models for waste reduction and resource productivity, and a just transition for all stakeholders, especially MSMEs and the informal waste sector.
The People Behind the Circular Economy
PCX Solutions was delighted to moderate "Session 5: Inclusive Circular Economy and Just Transition" to shine a light to the social side of the circular transition. Across ASEAN, MSMEs, informal waste workers, women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities play essential roles in circular value chains but often face barriers to finance, technology, markets, social protection, and formal participation.
In this Session, we explored how the circular economy can contribute to inclusive economic growth, decent work, and a just transition across ASEAN. We did not only speak about the importance of social safeguards for waste workers and the tremendous service they are doing for society, often invisible. We also discussed how the circular economy can create new, green jobs–new opportunities for decent work and resilient livelihoods. How previous waste pickers can be included in circular systems such as reuse and refill, to avoid that waste is created in the first place.
Speakers highlighted the imperative for policy frameworks that formally recognize informal waste workers and facilitate their inclusion, honoring their unique expertise, needs, and preferences. Integrating responsible sourcing practices and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanisms can help ensure equitable compensation while advancing safeguards for rights, workplace safety, and social security.
The panelists shared successful approaches of integrating MSMEs, informal waste workers, women, youth, and local communities into circular economy value chains. To bridge economic gaps, inclusive skill-building initiatives must align with both local context and market demands and long-term progress beyond initial project lifecycles relies heavily on robust value chains, local community ownership, and sustained institutional support.
Lastly, it was elaborated how governments, local authorities, the private sector, and development partners can work together to ensure that circular economy implementation contributes to broader sustainable development objectives across ASEAN. The dialogue underscored the connection between transparent, responsible supply chains and increased investment readiness, noting that regional collaboration is key to overcoming shared challenges in financing, formal recognition, and implementation.
A key takeaway from the session is that decent work must be an intentional, measurable outcome of circular economy initiatives—defined by enhanced job quality, stronger livelihoods, and active participation in shaping a fair transition.'
Session Speakers:
Secretary Jose Francisco “Kiko” Bantug Benitez, Secretary / Director General, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
Engr. Michael Gayona, TESDA,
Georgina Pascual, International Labour Organization (ILO),
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suneerat Fukuda, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) of Thailand,
Annerieke Douma, The Circulate Initiative
Moderated by Stefanie Beitien, PCX Solutions
The session was organized in partnership with:
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA),
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as implementing agency for Plastic Reboot Philippines,
ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD),
Stockholm Environment Institute.
Watch the full recording of Day 2 here.
Turning Dialogue to Regional Action for a Resilient ASEAN
Beyond placing people at the center of the transition, the dialogue highlighted several other key messages. Circularity cannot remain a theoretical concept; instead, implementation must take center stage. Translating regional ambitions into tangible outcomes requires an enabling environment driven by strong governance and supportive systems.
Crucially, circularity must make economic sense to incentivize long-term investments, business adoption, and market viability. Ultimately, one recurring message that surfaced from all discussions is that circularity is a shared responsibility that demands continuous, coordinated action across all sectors.
To turn these overarching messages into measurable progress, the dialogue yielded seven key priorities that must be operationalized across the region:
Strengthen policy coherence and implementation to align standards, eliminate bottlenecks, and ensure sustainability of initiatives.
Develop circular markets and value chains that support sustainable products from design to recovery.
Improve evidence and measurement to track impact, validate outcomes, and drive data-driven actions.
Connect finance and implementation by making public and private capital available for circular initiatives.
Strengthen local leadership and city cooperation to empower actors and encourage innovation on the ground, where waste is generated.
Ensure a just and inclusive transition that protects vulnerable workers and communities.
Advance innovation and sustained adoption to scale emerging and proven solutions across the region.
All insights and lessons from the Dialogue will be compiled into the ASEAN Chair’s Summary on Circular Economy Policy and Implementation, capturing key policy messages and priority recommendations that will inform the upcoming ASEAN Circular Economy Forum in October 2026 and contribute to ongoing discussions on circularity at the 49th ASEAN Summit in November 2026.
The Regional Dialogue was held from September 22-23 in Manila, Philippines. It was led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and co-organized in collaboration with the European Union–Philippines Green Economy Partnership (EU-PH GEPP), GIZ, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), Expertise France, and Plastic Reboot Philippines.
Alongside the dialogue, a Circular Economy Solutions and Demonstration Area showcased different practical and scalable circular economy projects from AMS, local government units (LGUs), MSMEs and social enterprises, and other development organizations. Exhibitors offered innovative approaches for waste diversion, materials recovery, upcycling, and sustainable production and consumption, while generating livelihood opportunities and other socioeconomic benefits. The demonstration provided an opportunity for event participants and delegates to interact and partner with local innovators, fostering replication and scale-up of circular solutions.
Learn more about the ASEAN Regional Dialogue on Circular Economy here.
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