Making circularity work: Aligning policy, markets and stakeholders

Malaysia is at a pivotal juncture in shaping its waste and materials policy – the Circular Economy Blueprint for Solid Waste launched by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) sets a clear direction for the country’s transition. A well-designed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework will be critical to delivering this vision, enabling a consistent and scalable system for managing product lifecycles—from production through to post-consumer recovery. With the value of recyclable materials estimated at US$1.3 billion annually, EPR presents a significant opportunity to unlock economic value while strengthening Malaysia’s long-term competitiveness.

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Realising this potential will depend on aligning legislative frameworks, investing in enabling infrastructure and technology, and establishing effective market-based mechanisms, including appropriately calibrated EPR fee structures. This requires a coordinated, system-wide approach that brings together policymakers, producers, waste managers and recyclers—while meaningfully integrating the informal sector, which remains largely excluded from formal decision-making despite its critical role in material recovery.

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Today, informal waste workers face limited legal recognition, constrained access to financing, and heightened health and safety risks, even as their participation is largely confined to downstream recycling activities. Against this backdrop, the discussion will focus on three interlocking challenges: how to harmonise legislative architecture across federal, state and local levels; how to design EPR rules and fee structures that incentivise infrastructure development and crowd in private capital; and how to formally recognise and integrate the informal sector into the system. This invitation-only roundtable will convene policymakers, subject-matter experts and solution providers to explore the pathways where policy, capital and disclosure frameworks can align for Malaysia’s EPR system to be both commercially viable and socially inclusive.

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If you would like to be considered for participation, please email your name, job title and organisation to malaysia@eco-business.com to request an invitation. Participation is subject to approval by the organising committee.