Global Plastic Policy Reviews

The roadmap has three phases: the first phase of the roadmap (2018 to 2019), which homes in on abandoning the use of cap seals, oxo-degradable plastic products, and plastic bags with handles less than 36 microns thick, and the second phase (2020-2022), which lays out various measures for manufacturers, distributors, business owners, and consumers to minimize plastic consumption and encourage the use of eco-friendly substitute materials. And, the third phase (2023-2030), where all parties are conscious of how to optimize the use of plastic across its entire life cycle, with manufacturers producing plastic products and packaging that are 100% recyclable or reusable, consumers minimizing the consumption of single-use plastics, and used plastic processors conducting research to develop products from recycled plastic, to extend each life cycle of plastic products and maximize their use.

The primary driver for this policy was environmental, figures indicate that Thailand remains among the five Asian countries responsible for more than half the plastic waste in the oceans (Enviliance ASIA by EnviX, Ltd, n.d.; Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, n.d.; Vassanadumrongdee & Marks, 2020; Mangmeechai, 2020). The Prime Minister through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment implemented this policy, and the administration of this Act falls under the National Environment Board, which has a Plastic Waste Management Subcommittee that also involves the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

There was insufficient evidence available to complete the evaluation framework at the time of the assessment, although, the Covid-19 pandemic interfered with the achievement of the targets set in the roadmap and reportedly triggered a rise in plastic use, some progress was also reported. (”Following plastic waste down Thailand’s Chao Phraya river”, 2022; Saunders, 2023).

(Uploaded in Nov 2023)