Ministry forms alliance to develop plastic waste management

A public-private partnership agreement on building the circular economy in plastic waste management in Vietnam has been signed for the first time by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Dow Chemical Vietnam Limited Company, SCG Group, and Unilever Vietnam International Co. Ltd on February 19.
After the signing ceremony, the MONRE and these aforesaid enterprises will set up a joint working group to build and implement plans on increasing public awareness of reducing plastic waste and waste sorting at the source, supporting waste sorting activities and plastic waste recycling, increasing technological innovation and solutions for plastic waste recycling, increasing dialogue and building policies to support the circular economy in plastic waste management in Vietnam.

At the event, Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan of the MONRE said that signing the memorandum of understanding shows the cooperation between the State management agencies with enterprises in turning challenges into opportunities to help to solve the common social problems.

‘As a materials science company and solutions provider, Dow is working with our partners to innovate new products, explore recycling technologies and develop new end markets for recycled plastics to help keep plastics out of the environment,’ said Mr. Ekkasit Lakkananithiphan, CEO of the Dow Chemical Vietnam.

Plastic pollution is currently a global crisis, causing enormous damage to the environment and the ecosystem. Plastic waste clogs the flow of rivers, destroying or degrading biodiversity, especially in the seas. Around 1 million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world and up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide each year. Half of all plastic products are designed to be used once and then thrown away. Of the total plastic ever produced, only 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled, about 12 percent is incinerated, while the remaining 79 percent has accumulated in landfills, dumpsites or the natural environment.

In Vietnam, although the per capita rate of plastic waste generation is not as high as other developed countries in the world, with a population of nearly 100 million people and incomplete solid waste management infrastructure, the plastic waste remains a huge challenge.

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