On Tuesday 10 February 2026 in Bali, Indonesia, the Behaviour Lab convened practitioners, policymakers, and researchers from across Indonesia and ASEAN to discuss the role played by human behaviour in fighting plastic pollution. The event, titled "Scaling behaviour change, plastic reduction from local actions to policy pathways," advanced a critical dialogue between local practitioners and national policymakers, and aimed to bridge the gap between grassroots community actions and high-level government policy and regulatory frameworks focused on reducing plastic pollution. Panelists were joined by 22 in-person participants and 116 online guests from around ASEAN, North America, and Europe.
Through two panel discussions focused on local interventions, national policies, and regional knowledge sharing, speakers discussed their experiences in working to shift plastic consumption and waste management behaviours. Ultimately, the participants concluded that for plastic reduction strategies to scale effectively across Indonesia and Southeast Asia, behaviour change principles must be integrated into the initial design of policy and infrastructure rather than treated as an afterthought.
Panel 1: Community-Level Actions
Focus: Challenges and successes in implementing waste segregation and behaviour change at the village and household level.
Moderated by Mr Atsushi Watabe (Acting Programme Director/Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainable Consumption and Production, IGES), the first panel focused on community-level actions in Bali, addressing the trust gap between citizens and waste management systems that often hinders effective segregation. Panelists argued that for behaviour change to last, citizens must understand that they have a ‘role’ in proper waste management in the community, rather than just feeling a ‘responsibility’ that is imposed from outside of the traditional village governance system. To bridge this gap, panelists highlighted the effectiveness of working with traditional social structures to implement consistent monitoring by local women's groups and the cultural authority of traditional Pecalangs (security officers) to enforce habits where standard regulations fail.
Transforming "Responsibility" into a Specific "Role"
A major barrier to behaviour change is the erosion of public trust in the waste management system. Ms Zul Martini Indrawati, President Director of Eco Loop Indonesia, (an initiative working on extended producer responsibility and plastic waste management in Bali, Indonesia) argued that citizens hesitate to segregate waste because they do not fully trust it will be managed properly. She emphasised that citizens often view government mandates as imposed obligations rather than as meaningful roles within the waste management system. To succeed, individuals must understand their specific role in the ecosystem, knowing and trusting where their waste goes and how their segregation enables the recycling process.
Consistency Through Regular Monitoring and Education
Behaviour change is not a one-time event but a habit that requires constant maintenance. Ms Ida Ayu Ngurah Intan Marlina, Project Support Officer of Merah Putih Hijau (a Bali-based, community-centric non-profit initiative focused on supporting villages in operating and maintaining their own waste management systems) noted that while behaviour change is possible, habits can regress if regulations change suddenly or if education stops. The most effective approach involves "green teams" (often women in the Balinese context) conducting consistent door-to-door education and monitoring to ensure households maintain waste segregation standards.
Leveraging Traditional Cultural Structures for Enforcement
To address the lack of trust in government enforcement, Ms Dyah Poerwayanti, Environmental Counsellor to Provinsi Bali of the Ministry of Environment of Indonesia, highlighted the effectiveness of collaborating with local culture. The involvement of Pecalangs (traditional security officers known as "guards of the heaven") has been crucial. Because these officers command high respect within Balinese culture, their involvement in training and monitoring has influenced community behaviour more effectively than standard government notices.
Panel 2: Supporting Behaviour Change Policy
Focus: Bridging local actions with national policy and sharing knowledge across the ASEAN region.
The second panel, moderated by Mr Dwayne Appleby (IGES), focused on bridging the gap between local initiatives and national policy, emphasising that decision-makers require region-specific evidence to validate that behaviour change strategies are effective within the ASEAN context. Participants further argued that regulations often fail due to a lack of implementation capacity, urging that behavioural principles should be integrated into the initial design of infrastructure and policy rather than treated as a secondary addition. Ultimately, the panel concluded that successful scaling of behaviourally-informed policies and programmes requires consistent operational systems — such as refusing to collect mixed waste — that combine strict enforcement with social pressure to ensure compliance.
The Need for Region-Specific Evidence
Policymakers in Southeast Asia often view behaviour change as barely experimental or irrelevant if the data comes from Europe or North America. Mr Reo Kawamura, Director for the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (ERIA) emphasised that for ASEAN policymakers to adopt these strategies, they need context-specific research proving that behaviour change interventions work in countries such as Indonesia, Viet Nam, or the Philippines, not just in Europe or North America. Sharing successful regional case studies is essential to validate these methods for government adoption.
Integrating Behaviour Change into Policy Design
There is a consensus that behaviour change is currently treated as an afterthought rather than a core component of infrastructure planning. Dr Arisman, Executive Director of Center for Southeast Asian Studies Indonesia (an independent scholarly research centre based in Jakarta, Indonesia) noted that while Indonesia has many regulations, there is a lack of consistency and implementation capacity. Indeed, policy without effective implementation remains a major hurdle for many countries across ASEAN. The panel concluded that behaviour change principles must be integrated into the initial design of policy and infrastructure — ensuring budget and resources are allocated for implementation strategies that reflect local values, culture, and priorities, moving well beyond simple awareness campaigns.
The "No Sorting, No Collection" Systems Approach
Ms Julie Ng, Project Lead for Indonesia of delterra (a globally active environmental non-profit) illustrated that policy requires a holistic operational system to be effective. She detailed a "no sorting, no collection" model where regulations were backed by strict operational enforcement and social pressure. By refusing to collect mixed waste and leveraging social norms and reputational incentives (e.g., stamping bins of non-compliant households), they drove sorting rates from 0% to over 60% in two weeks. This demonstrated that reliable operations and enforcement are as critical as the policy itself.
Photo from left to right: Ms Juliati Ng (delterra); Mr. Arisman (CSEAS); Mr Dwayne Appleby (IGES); Mr Reo Kawamura (ERIA); Mr Atsushi Watabe (IGES); Ms Dyah Poerwayanti (Ministry of Environment Indonesia); Ms Zul Martini Indrawati (Eco Loop); and Ms Ida Ayu Ngurah Intan Marlina (Merah Putih Hijau).
Conclusions: Building Systematic Homegrown Solutions
The event concluded with a consensus that behaviour change cannot be an afterthought. Governments and local practitioners in Indonesia and across ASEAN need to work more closely together to build collaborative relationships of trust and mutual support. The behavioural sciences present a novel approach for the region to achieve reductions in plastic consumption and pollution. The panelists agreed that for plastic reduction to be scalable, governments and implementers should work to build their capacity to develop behaviourally-informed policies implementations.
As the Behaviour Lab looks forward into 2026 and beyond, the lessons learned from discussion such as those held in Bali will inform the development of targeted policy and implementation supports for the ASEAN region. By combining local cultural wisdom with rigorous data monitoring, the partnership aims to turn individual actions into systematic regional solutions.
The Behaviour Lab is a collaborative partnership between the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA); The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment; and WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities Initiative.
Event Details
Online & in person
Le Méridien Bali Jimbaran Hotel, Indonesia, Jimbaran 1 & 2 (5th Floor)
Presentation Materials
Programme
| Opening | |||
| Reo Kawamura, Director for Environmental Policy and the RKC-MPD, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) | |||
| Panel 1: Behaviour Change at the Local Level: Innovations from Bali | |||
| Moderator: | Atsushi Watabe, Acting Programme Director/Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainable Consumption and Production, IGES | ||
| Panellists: | Zul Martini Indrawati, President Director, PT Eco Loop Indonesia | ||
| Dyah Poerwayanti, Environmental Counsellor to the Environmental Control Center for Bali and Nusa Tenggara, a unit under the Ministry of Environment of Indonesia | |||
| Catur Yuda Hariyani, Director, The Environmental Education Center Bali (PPLH) | |||
| Ida Ayu Ngurah Intan Marlina, Project Officer, MPH Bali | |||
| Panel 2: Supporting Behaviour Change Policymaking | |||
| Moderator: | Dwayne Appleby, Deputy Director, Sustainable Consumption and Production Unit, IGES | ||
| Panellists: | Arisman, Executive Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Indonesia | ||
| Juliati Ng, Project Lead, Delterra, Indonesia | |||
| Reo Kawamura, Director for Environmental Policy and the RKC-MPD, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) | |||