SWITCH-Asia

WHEN:  13 December 2024     I    TIME:  9:00 - 11:00 (Bangkok Time)   I    Video Recording HERE

Background

Businesses and other organizations in Southeast Asia, particularly ASEAN, have started to benefit from the implementation of circular economy practices in sectors as diverse as agri-food, textile and garments, tourism and hospitality, building and construction and waste minimization and recovery. The ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA) has been launched to further facilitate business leadership and action on the circular economy, as a contribution to achieving the aims and objectives of the 2021 ASEAN Circular Economy Framework, whilst contributing to reducing GHG emissions and waste. This webinar will discuss how to best support the regional circular economy transition through ACEBA and will showcase circular economy business examples of business practices on circular economy.  

ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA)

ACEBA is an ASEAN-centric platform of and for business that provides leadership and facilitates business action on circular economy in Southeast Asia. ACEBA provides visibility for and voice to businesses that commit to circular economy and adopt circular economy solutions through in their business operations, products and services, and business networks. ACEBA showcased and facilitates the scaling up of good business practices and innovative solutions, fosters learning and knowledge sharing among ACEBA companies and beyond and promotes operational tools and metrics that are appropriate to the ASEAN region and supportive to its prosperity and growth.

ACEBA is an initiative of ARAIBA Sdn Bhd, a purpose-driven, not-for-profit business organization registered in Malaysia which takes forward the initiatives of the former ASEAN CSR Network in promoting responsible, inclusive, resilient and sustainable enterprises in ASEAN. ACEBA is further developed and implemented in collaboration with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) and the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), acting as ACEBA Country Leads for Indonesia and Philippines. The EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component (PSC) provides technical advisory to ACEBA.

Webinar Session

In partnership with the KADIN Indonesia and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and with technical advisory of the EU SWITCH-Asia programme, ACEBA will hold the first of its series of Webinars. This webinar aims to discuss how to best support the regional circular economy transition through ACEBA and will highlight examples of business practices on circular economy, drawing from the 75+ practical business cases developed by ACEBA in partnership with the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component and the ARAIBA.  

Objectives:

1. Discuss how Circular Economy (CE) is being understood and applied supported by business cases in ASEAN
2. Inform participants of emerging insights on business commitment and action towards CE derived from the Southeast Asian business cases developed through the TA
3. In country learning and gathering of insights on how policies can support CE business practices
4. Explore possible collective action towards business action on CE.

Moderator 

Mary Grace SANTOS, Expert for SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component (PSC)

Mary Grace P. Santos is the awareness raising and business engagement expert for the SWITCH-Asia PSC providing support to ACEBA. Grace has been engaged for more than 15 years in inclusive innovation program development and teaching, inclusive business research and policy work, and multistakeholder network management in the ASEAN region. She is a lecturer at the Department of Development Studies of the Ateneo de Manila University, and is one of the founders of the Universities and Research Councils Network on Innovation for Inclusive Development in Southeast Asia (UNIID-SEA Inc.), a non-profit organization based in the Philippines that designs inclusive innovation projects and training programs with the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Over the past five years, she served as consultant for organizations such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission in Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), GIZ, the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI), and most recently, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and The Asia Foundation (TAF) Thailand.
 

Speakers 

Zinaida FADEEVA, Team Leader, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component

Zinaida Fadeeva is the Team Leader of the Policy Support Component of the SWITCH-Asia Programme. Zinaida has over 25 years leading international professional experience in policy for and practice of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and Education for Sustainable Development, amongst others working with the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Her work has focused on diverse topics such as tourism, plastics, construction, small and medium enterprises, procurement and lifestyle. Zinaida has worked extensively with governments, private sector, international organisations and academia in East, South East, South and Central Asia.

Loraine GATLABAYAN, SCP awareness raising and regional partnership building, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component

Loraine is the Expert on  SCP awareness raising and regional partnership building of the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component of the SWITCH-Asia Programme. She did consultancy work from 2013-2018 in the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme - Regional Office in Asia and Pacific based in Bangkok, Thailand and the Asia-Pacific Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP) activities, where she is currently treasurer and board member. She has also worked at the Climate Change Commission (CCC) the Philippines as Division Chief for Knowledge Management, Director of the Center for Social Policy in the Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, and lead various regional, national, and local projects focusing biosafety, access rights in environmental decision- making, transparency and accountability, climate change, and resource efficiency.

Rene VAN BERKEL, Senior Circular Economy Expert for the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component

Dr Rene Van Berkel was formerly the Representative and Head of the Regional Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in India. In this role he was responsible for industry and government advocacy and coordination of UNIDO technical assistance portfolio on inclusive and sustainable industrial development, covering energy and resource efficiency, renewable energy, innovation, digitalization and circularity and MSME development. Previously he served amongst others in thematic leadership roles on resource efficient and cleaner production in UNIDO and as Professor of Cleaner Production at Curtin University of Technology in Australia. René has a three decade track record of pioneering and implementing SCP techniques, practices and policies in manufacturing and other productive sectors in Asia (including India, Indonesia, China, Viet Nam, Bangladesh and Myanmar) and globally. He currently serves as Senior Circular Economy Expert for the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component. 

Thomas THOMAS, Co-convenor ACEBA; Chairman, ARAIBA Sdn Bhd

Thomas played an integral role in the set-up of ASEAN Corporate Social Responsibility Network (ACN) in 2010 and as CEO, continues to provide oversight and strategic direction for the organisation.  ACN was established to promote and enable responsible business conduct in ASEAN Member States. ACN is the responsible and inclusive business champion with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council. They developed a Code for Responsible and Inclusive Business and is building up the ASEAN Responsible and Inclusive Business Alliance (ARAIBA) to be the region’s network of businesses supporting responsible business conduct. Thomas is driving this initiative. He has extensive experience in CSR and responsible business conduct, serving on various initiatives in the region and globally. He lead the baseline research on Sustainable Consumption and Production in 2020. Prior to ACN, he was the founding Executive Director of the Singapore Compact for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), now operating as the Global Compact Network Singapore. Thomas had been active with trade unions, co-operatives, the consumer movement and social enterprises and also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore.

Gil GONZALES,  co-convenor of ACEBA, Senior Advisor and former Executive Director of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC)

Gil L. Gonzales is currently the Executive Director of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council created by the ASEAN Leaders in 2013 to help build and promote the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) under the AEC Strategic Blueprint 2025. His role is to help the Council serve its mandate of providing the voice of business through policy recommendations to the ASEAN Leaders and Economic Ministers and other relevant Ministers down to the different working ASEAN sectoral bodies and committees to translate the recommendations to execution mode and undertake concrete joint projects. His other expertise covers the areas of corporate governance, risk management, strategic and corporate planning, human resource and change management. He served as Vice President for ASEAN Affairs and Corporate Governance and Risk Management at the SM Investments Corporation, one of the biggest conglomerates in the Philippines from 2010-2020. He also held various executive positions in key private and government institutions.

Regan Rex T. KING, VP Cebu Business Mobilization, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry 

Regan Rex King is the Vice President for Cebu Business Mobilization of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cebu Business Month 2024 Overall Chairman. King’s accolades include the Ave Maria Cross and Eagle Scout Award, Most Promising Entrepreneurship Award (Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2014), Corporate Excellence in Transportation (Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2019), Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary Foundation 2020), and Most Exceptional Business Leader of the Year (Asia’s Pinnacle Awards 2022). He holds a Bachelor's in Political Science from Ateneo de Manila University and has completed courses in Entrepreneurial Finance (AIM), Executive Development (SMU), and Corporate Governance (Singapore Institute of Directors 2021).

Danesh ANANDAN, Director, Renewcell Malaysia

Danesh is the co-founder of Renewcell (M) Sdn Bhd and a graduate of Curtin University, where he earned a degree in Petroleum Engineering. He brings a wealth of experience to the company, supported by a solid technical foundation. Danesh plays a pivotal role in shaping Renewcell’s innovative approach to battery regeneration and sustainability. His background in the energy sector uniquely positions the company to tackle complex challenges in the battery supply chain while emphasizing environmental impact and cost efficiency. By harnessing his engineering insights, Danesh drives advancements in green technology, significantly contributing to battery circularity and Malaysia’s sustainability goals.

Joanna SMITH, Founder and CEO, Ock Pop Tok Lao PDR

Joanna (Jo) Smith, a graduate in Fine Arts with a specialization in sculpture and photography, first came to Laos in 1999 as part of an EU-funded development project. Captivated by the country's rich textile heritage and the skilled artisans who brought it to life, she sought out like-minded individuals to collaborate with. This led to a fateful encounter with Veomanee Douangdala, a talented weaver with a passion for preserving traditional Laotian textiles. In 2000, Jo and Veo founded Ock Pop Tok, a textile social enterprise based in Luang Prabang, Laos. Since the beginning, Ock Pop Tok - meaning East means West in Lao - has been trying to bring two worlds together. Merging traditions from the East with innovation from the West has allowed Ock Pop Tok to elevate the profile of Lao textiles and contribute to its preservation.

Jeremy J. GATPO, Vice President and Head of Supply Chain Management at Converge ICT Solutions Inc.

Jeremy J. Gatpo, CPCSL, CPP, is a seasoned Supply Chain Leader with over 25 years of expertise in Procurement, Logistics, Supply Management, Demand Planning, and Vendor Management. As the Vice President and Head of Supply Chain Management at Converge ICT Solutions Inc., the Philippines' leading pure fiber data network and fastest internet provider (Ookla Speedtest Q1-Q4 2023, Q1 & Q2 2024), he has championed operational excellence across various industries such as in Telecom, Pharma-Distribution, Petroleum, Retail Electronics, and FMCG consultancy in the US, Guam, Saipan, and Micronesia. 

Aryenda ATMA, Founder & CEO Pable

Aryenda Atma is the Founder and female lead of Pable, a company focused on textile waste recycling. Introducing circular economy principles to the textile sector, Pable presents Pabtex (Pable Textile), a recycled fabric made from 100% household waste that is recycled into yarn fibers and woven by weaver communities in East and West Java. In addition, Pable presents textile waste treatment services that focus on post consumer waste recycling through dropbox and Uniform Disposal Program (UDP) programs and has collaborated with various companies such as Pertamina, BCA, Bank Mandiri, PLN, etc. Currently, Pable is involved in a pilot program with the Ministry of Industry for the recycling of community clothing waste.

Agenda