Dear friends and colleagues,
As we welcome 2021, we also celebrate your commitment and courage to fight the battles you fight through your work. In the new BFFP Asia-Pacific newsletter we bring you stories and insights from across the region. We trust you are as inspired by your fellow waste warriors as they are of you.
Throughout the past year we saw that governments across the Asia - Pacific region used the pandemic as an opportunity to push through laws and policies that aim to increase autocracy and corporate power. Rather than despair, the response from people across the region has been defiance. From India and Thailand to Indonesia and the Philippines, we saw heartening videos of people sharing songs and meals, braving inclement weather, defying emergency laws prohibiting protests, and courting institutional harassment. Farmers, workers, fishers, small scale traders, students, and civil society groups have come together to defend freedom of speech, participatory democracy, people’s rights, and environmental justice.
Many of you - members of #breakfreefromplastic - are among these heroes. You have tackled the disposable plastic deluge by revealing the real polluters and the false solutions they continue to peddle. You have protected the rights of frontline healthcare and informal waste communities by ensuring that they have access to personal protective equipment, and income. You have successfully demonstrated that a zero waste lifestyle is no longer just a choice but an imperative practicality. You have renewed your commitment to a plastic-free planet through deeper engagement with brand audits, waste trade, and producer liability.
As 2020 drew to a close, we heard of the emergence of a new COVID-SARS-2 strain that is causing renewed strain on our societies and economies. However, our individual and collective efforts are an indication of our ability to adapt, withstand pressure, and to take on challenges head-on to emerge stronger together.
In solidarity,
Satyarupa Shekhar
BFFP AP Regional Coordinator
