IGES launched a project to test the effectiveness of behavioural insights to reduce the use and waste of single-use plastics in cities and communities. The project is funded by and conducted in close collaboration with the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN (ERIA).
The project plans to develop practical knowledge on applying behavioural insights in concrete settings and provide an easy-to-use toolkit for local governments, businesses and schools to apply the knowledge.
In line with this goal, ERIA and IGES opened a call for implementing partners from Asian countries (limited to Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Viet Nam and Japan). In collaboration with IGES, selected partners will plan, implement and monitor pilot projects to test the effectiveness of interventions informed by behavioural insights to reduce single-use plastic waste.
From 2 to 31 November 2022, the project received a total of 44 proposals. The Evaluation Committee composed of six experts from IGES and ERIA reviewed all the applications according to the following criteria:
- Clear description of the context (settings and target)
- Clear description of the behavioural insights to be tested
- Clear description of the monitoring methods
Following a rigorous screening process, the following four partners were selected.
1. Chula Unisearch, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
2. Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Indonesia
3. Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE), Viet Nam
4. University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) Task Force on Environmental Sustainability (TFES), the Philippines
The four partners will work with IGES to develop detailed implementation and monitoring plans from January to August 2023. The lessons learned from the four pilot projects will then be summarised into a Guidance Toolkit that can be used to apply behavioural insights to reduce plastic consumption in Asian cities and communities. The toolkit is scheduled to be launched in late 2023.