Vietnamese enterprises strive for green consumption

Vietnam is listed among the five countries with the highest amounts of plastic waste. The average plastics consumption level in Vietnam increased from 3.8 kilograms in 1990 to 41 kilograms in 2015, with a growth rate of 10 percent per annum.
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Vietnam is listed among the five countries with the highest amounts of plastic waste. The average plastics consumption level in Vietnam increased from 3.8 kilograms in 1990 to 41 kilograms in 2015, with a growth rate of 10 percent per annum.

Vietnam discharges 1.8 million tons of plastics a year, and only 27 percent of plastic bags can be recycled.

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On average, Vietnam discharges 0.73 million tons of plastics to the ocean. Experts have warned that Vietnam’s sea would have more plastic waste than fish by 2050 if it does not prevent plastic waste.

Experts warn Vietnam is at risk of becoming a landfill site. Under the laws, enterprises can import pure scrap plastics. However, it is difficult to separate plastic scrap. Many countries have exploited the loophole to bring low-quality scrap plastics to Vietnam.

After China prohibited import of 24 types of waste, plastic waste imported to Vietnam in H1 of 2018 surged by two times compared with the same period of 2017.

The General Department of Customs (GDC), as of mid last year, said 1,342 containers of plastic scrap were found left at the Hai Phong Port for more than 90 days, while the figure was thousands of containers at Cat Lai Port.

The government of Vietnam has new policies to reduce plastic waste. The environment protection tax of VND50,000 per kilogram has been imposed on plastic bags since early 2019.

The government has set up a roadmap on reducing the use of plastic packaging and preventing the product at shops, supermarkets and traditional markets from 2025.

Plastic waste is a big threat to Vietnam. This explains why 300 workshops, forums and events related to plastic waste have been organized recently.

According to Gordon Milne, account manager of Ipsos Asia Pacific, from an nvironmental as well as commercial perspective, plastic waste is a critical global issue.

Citing a survey conducted by Ipsos of 17,000 people , including 3,900 people in Asia Pacific, he said consumers are increasingly concerned about the use of plastics and want to find solutions to reduce unnecessary packaging.

Vietnam now has good conditions to replace plastic packages, to recycle and reuse plastic waste. Many enterprises have pioneered in the ‘green’ movement. In 2015, An Phat made biodegradable packages of cornstarch, mostly for export.

Three years later, An Phat began selling the product in the domestic market. The product AnEco has been used widely at some supermarkets, including Big C, Lotte Mart and Co-op.

Mai Lan