Informal Supply Chains: A Dive into the Southeast Asian Ocean Plastic Supply Chain

Using the case of the ocean plastic supply chain in Southeast Asia, this creative project serves to educate the audience about the differences between “informal” and “formal” supply chains, while also providing context for why these differences are so important for the global economy. Most people are not familiar with the idea of an informal supply chain, though they account for more than 60% of the employed population and over 80% of all global enterprises. These chains are hard to manage and are extremely unpredictable, yet most formal supply chains, like those of major corporations that we know and love, utilize informal supply chains in some capacity. The focus of my research was through hands-on experiences and interviews in Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines, with additional outside research from academic and other publications.

The deliverable for my project was, in this case, a video that helps to visualize the differences between these supply chains, while also educating the listener about various key facts that make this problem so complex. It utilizes an adapted framework to visualize the main stakeholders in the supply chain, providing explanations and photos of each level. It then dives into further detail of the first level in the supply chain: Pickers.