LocationsDocumenting the plastic value chain with NPAP Cambodia
Cambodia’s waste management systems are grappling with rising volumes of plastic. In 2022 alone, the country generated 546 kilotonnes (kt) of plastic waste across five key categories, averaging at 33 kilograms (kg) per capita. Yet only 5% of Cambodia’s plastic waste is properly managed, with less than 2% recycled. The remaining plastic ends up in dumpsites, being openly burned or leaking into the environment. Without urgent intervention, this crisis will continue to escalate, seriously threatening Cambodia’s ecosystems and public health.
Transforming Cambodia’s plastic system requires bold, coordinated action across the value chain. To drive this progress, in 2023, Cambodia launched NPAP Cambodia in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership. Led by the Ministry of Environment, NPAP Cambodia is a cross sector, evidence-based initiative dedicated to developing a national action roadmap to reduce plastic pollution, mitigate its economic and social impacts, and accelerate Cambodia’s transition to a circular plastics economy.
Join us on the ground as we document the plastic lifecycle in Cambodia with voices from across the value chain sharing the everyday realities and explore an alternative future, where plastic circularity reaches 52% by 2040, leading to a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment.
Cambodia’s current plastic challenge
Like many across the globe, people in Cambodia have adopted single-use plastic as a cheap and convenient option for everyday lives, moving away from traditional packaging options, such as palm and banana leaves. If current trends continue, plastic waste generation is expected to continue rising and nearly double by 2040. This will place additional strain on already overwhelmed waste management systems and threatens key economic sectors while posing serious risks for people’s health and the health of ecosystems. In addition, it will waste 95% of a material’s value after a single use, resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in economic potential.
Voices from the plastic value chain in Cambodia
Hear from actors in Cambodia who share their experiences with plastic and existing alternatives. From shop owners, everyday consumers, waste collectors, junkyard owners, landfill authorities, alternative packaging producers and cleanup leaders – each facing a unique set of challenges as they navigate the realities of the plastic value chain.
Towards plastic circularity
NPAP Cambodia proposes a pathway to an alternative future of plastic in Cambodia, where circularity reaches 52% and mismanagement is reduced by 74% by 2040, leading to a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment.
Upstream solutions can drive change by eliminating avoidable plastics, expanding reuse and adopting alternative materials. Downstream interventions can strengthen waste collection, improve recycling and prevent plastic leakage. Ensuring inclusive and equitable solutions will allow low income communities and informal waste workers – many of them women – to benefit from new opportunities, better conditions and a more resilient circular economy.
