Plastic and Health: Southeast Asia Unveiled
A Photo Exhibit and People's Campaign
Plastic pollution is a growing crisis that profoundly affects human health, the environment, and the healthcare industry. Southeast Asia’s fast urbanization, growing middle class, and lack of waste management infrastructure have made the region a hotspot for plastic pollution.
Plastics contribute to environmental degradation and pose health risks to communities. Moreover, plastics pose significant operational challenges for healthcare facilities—a sector heavily dependent on plastic products such as gloves and tubing for medical supplies and infection control. This reliance not only impacts sustainability but also contributes substantially to carbon emissions.
As member states and policymakers gather for the fifth round of negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty, it is crucial to highlight the threats of plastic pollution to Southeast Asia’s public and planetary health.
The photo exhibit, “Plastic and Health: Southeast Asia Unveiled,” aims to visually capture and communicate the negative impacts of plastic pollution on humans, the environment, and the healthcare industry. This project seeks to shed light on these realities, ensuring that Southeast Asia's voice is strongly represented in global dialogues, especially those surrounding the Global Plastics Treaty.
The call for photo submissions, primarily aimed at Southeast Asian countries, attracted a diverse array of entries from both amateur and professional photographers, including sustainability practitioners, healthcare professionals, environmental advocates, and members of broader communities.
With nearly 200 entries from 11 countries within and beyond Southeast Asia, the photos and accompanying narratives underscore that plastic pollution and its profound impact on the health of people and the planet is a shared concern across many, if not all, parts of the world.
View the digital booklet at bit.ly/HCWH-INC5PhotoExhibit