Events

The ASEAN Cassava Centre (ACC) is honoured to announce that Dr Warinthorn Songkasiri, Director of ACC and Honorary Member of the Thai Tapioca Starch Association (TTSA), has been invited as a panellist at the 2026 ASEAN Circular Economy Forum (ACEF 2026). The forum is being held at the Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, Bangkok, with the main forum on 5–6 October and side events on 7–8 October 2026.

ACEF is ASEAN's leading multi-stakeholder platform on the circular economy, bringing together policymakers, businesses, investors, MSMEs, academia and civil society from across the region. This year's forum, themed "Closing the Loop, Unlocking the Future: Thriving in a Resource-Challenged World", is organised through the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ACESP) at the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat, the European Union, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Team Finland, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and other regional partners. Building on previous editions in Indonesia (2023), Thailand (2024) and Malaysia (2025), the forum will consolidate its recommendations into the ASEAN Circular Economy Action Agenda 2026 for the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) and the AEC Focused Group on Circular Economy (FG-CE).

Dr Warinthorn will speak in Session D, "Inclusive Circular Economy: Informality and MSME Integration", on Tuesday 6 October 2026 from 09:20 to 10:50. Led by SEI and moderated by Ms Marie Jürisoo, SEI Centre Director, the talk-show-style session will explore how micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and informal enterprises can be integrated into circular systems to support a just transition across ASEAN. Discussion will cover practical cases from the e-waste and bio-energy sectors, gender equality and social inclusion through green skills and decent work, and the role of consumers and sustainable consumption and production initiatives.

Dr Warinthorn will be joined by Ms Viengvilay Phimmasone, Co-Founder of PatiHoub Laos; Mr Panipol Apichitsakul, Co-Founder of Blue Ocean Plastic; and Mr Hilman Maysa Firdaus, Planning Officer at the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Republic of Indonesia, and Member of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME).

ACC welcomes this opportunity to contribute to regional dialogue on an inclusive circular economy, and remains committed to working with partners to build a more sustainable and equitable cassava industry in ASEAN.

For further information on ACEF 2026, please visit https://acef2026.acsdsd.org.