Sustainable Asia

Earth Sciences

climate change
sustainability

Stories about Asia and the environment...that you probably haven’t heard yet. A new perspective on how different countries in Asia are tackling a changing planet.

Credits

Marcy Trent Long
Bonnie Au

EIGHT MILLION: Prologue

Eight Million takes you through the ins and outs of plastic waste treatment globally and in China. It’s an illuminating look at how China is closing their doors on imported plastic waste, and turning their back on industrial pollution in favor of building an ‘ecological civilization’.

Guests:

Isabel Hilton, Chinadialogue

S1E1: EIGHT MILLION: China and the Global Plastic Challenge

Everywhere you look, on beaches and in seas around the world, there’s plastic, and this is changing the fabric of our oceans. Why is plastic ocean pollution such a problem - particularly in Asia?

In this episode we will be talking to experts from the academic, government and advocacy world, to learn about the impact of ocean plastic on seafood and our health. We will learn about how microplastics differ across the world, and about the source of much ocean plastic pollution: uncollected waste from land.

Guests:

Craig Leeson, Director, A Plastic Ocean

Nicholas Mallos, Ocean Conservancy

Marcus Eriksen, 5Gyres Institute

William Robberson, USEPA Regional Response Team

Chelsea Rochman, Rochman Lab

Jenna Jambeck, Jambeck Research Group

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Co-Producer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S1E2: EIGHT MILLION: Beautiful China

Rivers are at the heart of China’s economic development, but recent research indicates they may also be critical in transporting plastics into the ocean. What is China doing to stop pollution from flowing into river systems? The 19th Party Congress in 2017 is where Xi Jinping spelled out his ambition for a Beautiful China. During the Party Congress, the Five Year Plan was approved - putting in motion new environmental targets that can be filtered down to local level.

Guests:

Christine Loh, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Civic Exchange

Laurent Lebreton, The Ocean Cleanup

Lincoln Fok, Education University of Hong Kong

Feng Hu, China Water Risk

Xu Yuanchao, China Water Risk

Zhang Chun, Chinadialogue

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Co-Producer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S1E3: EIGHT MILLION: Sorting out China’s plastic waste

So you thought your recyclable waste was going to a local processing plant? Instead it was very likely shipped to China, along with about half of the world’s exported plastic waste. However, in January 2018 China decided to ban plastic waste imports and end this charade.

Now western countries are now forced to deal with their own waste. But what motivated China to shut down an industry so many of its citizens depended on?

Guests:

Mao Da, Rock Environment and Energy Institute

Chen Liwen, Nature University ENGO

Christine Loh, Civic Exchange and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Co-Producer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S1E4: EIGHT MILLION: Plastic Recycling 101 - Closing the Loop

With all the effort going into recycling, Europe is still only at a 30% plastic recycling rate, and the US trails way behind at 9%. And this was before China stopped processing the West’s recycling! Why are these numbers so low? When did plastic recycling get so complicated?

Guests:

Doug Woodring, Ocean Recovery Alliance

Michelle Jou, Covestro China

Philippe Li, HK Recycles Hong Kong

Chen Liwen, Nature University ENGO

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Co-Producer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S1E5: EIGHT MILLION: Is burning waste China’s quick solution to ocean plastics?

China is trying to find the solutions to its immense waste crisis. According to World Bank numbers, the country is currently dealing with 200 million tonnes of garbage a year. Landfills are crammed and a burden to their surrounding communities. To solve this, China is building more waste-to-energy plants than the rest of the world combined. But is this the right direction?

Guests:

Jennifer Turner, Woodrow Wilson Center

Doug Woodring, Ocean Recovery Alliance

Nickolas J. Themelis, Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council

Christine Loh, HKUST and Civic Exchange

Mao Da, Rock Environment and Energy Institute

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Co-Producer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S2E1: PLASTICITY: Ocean Plastics Charter

The Ocean Plastics Charter pledges to recycle and reuse at least 55% of plastic packaging by 2030. It also commits brands to increase the amount of recycled plastic content in their packaging by 50%.

Produced in collaboration with Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover.

Guests:

Doug Woodring, Founder/Managing Director at Ocean Recovery Alliance

Ellen Jackowski, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy & Innovation at HP

Dr. Ben R. Jordan, Senior Director of Environmental Policy, The Coca-Cola Company

Ashwin Subramaniam, CEO & Founder at GA Circular (Gone Adventurin’)

Harsha Reddy, Head of Global Sustainability at Indorama Ventures PCL

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Writer, Editor, and Sound Mixer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S2E2: PLASTICITY: It’s All About Infrastructure

Moving to a plastic circular economy in Asia requires changes in behavior and better waste management infrastructure.

Produced in collaboration Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover.

Guests:

Trish Hyde, Managing Director, The Plastics Circle and Founder of PlastX

Doug Woodring, Founder/Managing Director at Ocean Recovery Alliance

Ashwin Subramaniam, CEO & Founder at GA Circular (Gone Adventurin’)

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Writer, Editor, and Sound Mixer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S2E3: PLASTICITY: Define Recycling?

What can be done to lower the cost of recycling plastics in Asia, so we can further increase the scale of production to make recycling easier and more profitable?

Produced in collaboration Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover.

Guests:

Ashwin Subramaniam, CEO & Founder at GA Circular (Gone Adventurin’)

Kian Hoe Seah, Managing Director at Heng Hiap Industries

Sdn Bhd Harsha Reddy, Head of Global Sustainability at Indorama Ventures PCL

Ravish Manjithia, Founder and CEO of Magnomer

Renae Kezar, Senior Director, Global Leader of Sustainability at Avery Dennison

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Writer, Editor, and Sound Mixer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here

S2E4: PLASTICITY: As Good As New

The innovation in the recycling industry shows that recycled materials are not necessarily of a lower quality. Asia is only starting to embrace the many things that can be made from recycled plastic.

Produced in collaboration Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover.

Guests:

Brian Thurston, Senior Advisor, Plastic Disclosure Project

Jose Lopez, Senior Architectural Designer at Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Development Co. Ltd.

Kian Hoe Seah, Managing Director at Heng Hiap Industries Sdn Bhd

Ellen Jackowski, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy & Innovation at HP

Doug Woodring, Founder/Managing Director at Ocean Recovery Alliance

Credits:

Producer and Host: Marcy Trent Long

Writer, Editor, and Sound Mixer: Sam Colombie

Sound Engineer: Chris Wood

Teaching Guide for Educators here