MANILA – In celebration of World Environment Day, the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and participating organizations from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia are calling for urgent, coordinated action to combat the growing microplastics crisis. Microplastics—plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters—have become widespread pollutants affecting every part of our environment.
These particles are present in the air, water, soil, food systems, and even in the human body, posing increasing threats to human health, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The crisis is particularly severe in Southeast and East Asia due to high plastic consumption, insufficient waste management infrastructure, and ongoing plastic waste imports (IPEN 2021). These structural challenges are worsened by the region’s reliance on aquatic food sources and rapid urbanization, making its populations among the most vulnerable in the world to microplastic pollution.
Recent studies highlight the scale and urgency of the issue. A global analysis by Zhao and You (2024) found that dietary intake of microplastics has risen dramatically between 1990 and 2018, with Southeast Asian nations—especially Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam—showing up to a 59-fold increase. Indonesia now ranks highest in global microplastic consumption, with individuals ingesting an estimated 15 grams per month, primarily through seafood (Cornell University, 2024). Microplastics have been detected in all seafood samples tested in Indonesia and Vietnam (Sarijan, S., et al., 2021) and in drinking water in Thailand, with average concentrations of 5.5 particles per liter (Kankanige, D., & Babel, S., 2020). In the Philippines, atmospheric microplastics have been found in street dust and indoor environments, suggesting urban runoff and resuspension as significant exposure pathways (Romarate II, et al., 2023).
Soil contamination is equally widespread. An IPEN study found microplastics in nearly all sampled dumping sites across Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam, with the Philippines reporting the highest median concentration—24,000 pieces per kilogram of soil. These particles, primarily polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), originate from everyday consumer products like packaging and bottles. Alarmingly, 40–60% of plastic additives in these soils, including phthalates and other toxicants, were directly associated with microplastic fragments. This highlights their dual role as both physical pollutants and carriers of hazardous chemicals (IPEN, 2023).
The risks to human health are similarly alarming. While research is still evolving, microplastics have already been detected in human feces (Zhang et al., 2020), blood, and placental tissues, raising urgent questions about long-term exposure and systemic health effects. A 2021 study by ECOTON confirmed microplastics in all tested human stool samples in Indonesia, with an average of 375.92 particles—mainly polypropylene and ethylene vinyl alcohol (ECOTON, 2021). Additional studies found microplastics in children’s sugar-sweetened beverages and tea bags widely consumed in Indonesia, exposing individuals to hundreds of particles per serving (ECOTON, 2025a; 2025b). These exposures may be linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Airborne microplastics pose particular risks in tropical megacities. A study in Vietnam found microplastic deposition in urban areas to be higher than in temperate cities of the Global North (Truong et al., 2021).
Due to their size, research indicates that some microplastics can penetrate deep into the lungs. Microplastics can also, carry hazardous substances, many of which are endocrine disruptors, such as bisphenols, flame retardants, PFAS, and phthalates and recent data show that more than 4,200 of plastics associated chemicals are known to be toxic, while only 6% are currently regulated at the international level (IPEN, 2023; UNEP, 2021).
Ecological impacts are no less severe. Microplastics in terrestrial environments—particularly agricultural soils—are approximately four to 23 times more concentrated than in marine ecosystems, posing serious risks to food security and biodiversity (de Souza Machado et al., 2018). As plastic degrades into smaller fragments, it becomes accessible to a broader range of organisms, increasing the likelihood of bioaccumulation and food chain contamination (Yates, 2025). Addressing microplastics is therefore vital to protecting food systems, public health, and ecological resilience.
In recent years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has issued multiple declarations that express regional commitments to environmental sustainability, plastic pollution, and human rights. These declarations offer a valuable framework for coordinated action against the microplastic crisis, but require stronger implementation, accountability, and alignment with emerging science.
The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (2012) affirms the right of every person to “an adequate standard of living” and “a safe, clean and sustainable environment.” These rights are directly threatened by the scale of microplastic pollution across Southeast and East Asia, especially as toxic plastic additives and degraded micro fragments compromise water, food, and air quality (ASEAN, 2012).
In 2023, ASEAN adopted the Declaration on Plastic Circularity, which recognizes the urgency of addressing plastic pollution through circular economy approaches, improved waste management, and regional cooperation (ASEAN, 2023). While this declaration signals progress, it focuses heavily on economic and technical solutions and does not explicitly address the health impacts of microplastics or the regulation of hazardous chemicals in plastic production.
Earlier, ASEAN member states endorsed the Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris (2021–2025), setting strategic objectives to reduce land-based plastic leakage and promote research, outreach, and policy harmonization (ASEAN, 2021). However, with this plan set to expire by the end of 2025, there is an urgent need for ASEAN to update and expand its scope beyond marine debris to include airborne, terrestrial, and food system-related microplastic exposure.
A promising but still pending initiative is the draft ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Rights, which proposes that all individuals have the right to a healthy and sustainable environment, including rights to information, participation, and remedy (UNESCAP, Draft 2023). Yet, the draft remains under review with no publicly available updates on its progress. It is unclear whether member states have committed to adopting the declaration or to integrating its principles into binding legal frameworks. This lack of transparency raises questions about the region’s readiness to fully recognize environmental rights as essential to health and justice in the face of escalating pollution.
Given these policy developments, Southeast and East Asia are at a critical juncture. ASEAN’s declarations must be backed by meaningful action to tackle the full life cycle impacts of plastic and microplastic pollution. The time for soft commitments is over; what is needed now is urgent, science-driven, and community-centered implementation.
Our Calls to Action
As emphasized in the ASEAN Declaration on Plastic Circularity (ASEAN, 2023), “solving plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, requires a full-life-cycle approach, which includes curbing plastic waste generation at its sources on land and water bodies and preventing its leakage into the environment including through industries.” This underscores a fundamental truth: piecemeal efforts are no longer enough.
To effectively combat the plastic and microplastic crisis in Southeast and East Asia, we must adopt systemic, science-based strategies that address the entire lifecycle of plastic—from extraction and production to use, disposal, and remediation. Without tackling the root causes of plastic pollution and the toxic chemical additives embedded in plastics, the health of our people, ecosystems, and economies will continue to deteriorate.
Governments must recognize microplastic pollution, including its widespread releases, emissions, and environmental leakages, and its role as a vector for harmful chemicals as a public health emergency and an ecological disaster. We call on the Southeast and East Asian governments to act decisively to reduce plastic production and toxic exposure to plastic chemicals.
We urge the following priority actions:
- Assert a unified regional voice in global negotiations—especially at the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2), to ensure that science-based, equitable and socially just policies reflect the realities of Southeast and East Asia.
- Reduce plastic production and phase-out and eventually eliminate unnecessary plastic consumption across industries and supply chains.
- Eliminate toxic chemicals in plastics and replace them with safer, and non-hazardous alternatives.
- Improve product design to minimize environmental release and promote sustainable consumption patterns.
- Ban intentionally added microplastics and toxic chemicals in personal care, household and other consumer products.
- Support interdisciplinary research on health and environmental impacts of microplastics and develop science-based mitigation strategies.
- Foster regional cooperation by sharing data, technologies, and best practices to reduce microplastic pollution across borders.
- Invest in environmentally sound waste management infrastructure and comprehensive monitoring systems for microplastics in air, water, food, and soil.
- Strengthen Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, requiring companies to disclose and manage plastic waste and chemical content across product life cycles.
- Enforce regulations limiting single-use plastics, and support scalable reuse and refill systems as sustainable alternatives.
- Monitor microplastics in air, water, soil, and food—especially in areas near vulnerable communities. Harmonize research methods and recognize the vital role of citizen science and community-based monitoring.
Conclusion
Microplastic pollution is not only an environmental concern—it is a human health, food systems, and human rights issue. The scope and complexity of the crisis demand systemic change. As stakeholders in the region committed to a toxic-free future, we pledge to advance the science, advocate for effective policies, and foster the collaboration needed to eliminate microplastic pollution and its root causes.
At the webinar “Toxic Footprints – Microplastics and the Hidden Crisis” conducted last May 9, 2025, environmental and public interest groups discussed key issues and concerns related to microplastics and put forward recommendations, including urging governments across the region to take immediate action before the crisis becomes an irreversible problem.
Co-organizing the webinar are the International Pollutants Elimination Network – Southeast and East Asia, Nexus3 Foundation, Environmental Justice Foundation, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation, and EcoWaste Coalition.
Contact information
Yuyun Ismawati – yuyun@nexus3foundation.org
Mageswari Sarangalingam – magesling@gmail.com
Salisa Traipipitsiriwat – salisa.t@ejfoundation.org
Rafika Aprilianti – rafikaprilianti99@gmail.com
Aileen Lucero – alucero@ecowastecoalition.org
Chinkie Peliño-Golle – cpelino@ecowastecoalition.org
