Measuring progress toward a circular economy of the ASEAN Community

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which necessitates accelerated progress in sustainable production and consumption. This study employs an economy-wide material flow analysis to assess the ASEAN community's material use, waste generation, emissions, resource efficiency, and circularity rate. The analysis encompasses the entire ASEAN economy, with a detailed focus on four member countries: Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In 2018, ASEAN countries collectively extracted 6449 million metric tons (Mt) of resources, exported 1302 Mt, and recorded a domestic material consumption (DMC) of 6376 Mt. Approximately 40% of this DMC contributed to material stock accumulation. Of the domestic processed output, 58% was released as air emissions, and the end-of-life recycling rate was 1.3%. Resource efficiency trends from 1970 to 2021 reveal a general improvement across the region, although Laos and Vietnam exhibited lower efficiency levels than the ASEAN average. The study concludes by comparing the sustainability policy capacities of the four selected countries with their material flows, identifying key areas requiring policy intervention and improvement.