Thematic Background

Due to environmental concerns, sustainability, and economic opportunities, the EU and ASEAN’s private sector increasingly embrace the circular economy concept, recognising its potential to drive sustainable business practices, reduce environmental impact, and foster innovation. The private sector’s adoption of circular economy principles is partly driven by a growing awareness of environmental challenges and the need for a more sustainable approach to business and partly by government policies. Through its Circular Economy Action Plans, the EU promotes the shift to a circular economy through ambitious targets and regulations, encouraging companies to redesign their products and rethink their business models by incorporating circular economy principles into their branding and marketing strategies. The EU Circular Economy Action Plan II (CEAP II) outlines specific initiatives and targets to promote a circular economy across various sectors, and the EU’s private sector has been investing in research and development to explore innovative technologies and business models that support this closed-loop approach. Policy measures include funding opportunities, tax incentives, and regulatory frameworks encouraging businesses to adopt circular practices. Enhancing cooperation on circular economy and encouraging Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) models by exchanging experiences and best practices are priorities under the current EU-ASEAN Plan of Action (POA) 2023-2027 and have likewise been priorities in the previous 2018-2023 POA.

In November 2023, Team Finland/SITRA and the European Union (EU), through its E-READI Programme, in cooperation with the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform / ACESP (https://ce.acsdsd.org/ – supported by the EU through the E-READI and SWICH Asia programmes), jointly organised the first ASEAN Circular Economy Forum (ACEF) in Jakarta. The forum was an important step towards fostering sustainability and circularity within the ASEAN region, and it saw the active participation of various stakeholders, including government officials, industry leaders, environmental advocates, and the private sector. Insightful presentations, discussions, and the collaborative spirit shaping the inaugural forum laid the groundwork for continuation. 

A similar collaboration, with a stronger focus on the EU and EU businesses in ASEAN, involving other EU stakeholders, and open to other ASEAN Dialogue Partners, is proposed for the 2024 ASEAN Circular Economy Forum. The ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) and its ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ACESP), the ASEAN Secretariat, Thailand as the host country, the EU Delegation to ASEAN,  E-READI, Team Finland, and other interested EU stakeholders under the umbrella of the Green Team Europe Initiative (GIZ Projects, Denmark, TAF GTEI) will co-organise the 2024 ACEF in conjunction with the annual SX Sustainability Expo in Bangkok, Thailand. Apart from deepening the EU-ASEAN dialogue on Circular Economy, the 2024 ACEF will serve as a stage for ASEAN businesses and EU businesses in ASEAN to showcase sustainable and circular practices.

The ACEF2024 is organised by the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), host of the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ACESP), C asean, SX Sustainability Expo, and the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI). Co-organised by Hanns Seidel Foundation, in collaboration with Finland (under the Team Europe Initiative / TEI). With the support of EU stakeholders under the umbrella of the Green Team Europe Initiative (GIZ Projects, Denmark, TAF GTEI)