Circular Economy – view from the implementation of the Law on Environment Protection in 2020!

With the implementation of the Law on Environment Protection in a past year, many activities to promote the circular economy have been started giving us hope that the future of the circular economy will soon become a reality in Vietnam.

Regulation of circular economy

Sustainable development in general and circular economy development have been concerned by the Party and State, set out objectives, tasks and solutions for implementation.

Guidelines, policies and regulations on circular economy have been gradually concretized, in which Law on Environmental Protection has many new points, breakthrough which contribute to promoting circular economy in Vietnam. Accordingly, the circular economy in Vietnam is defined as “An economic model in which the activities of design, production, consumption, and service to reduce the extraction of materials, prolonging product life cycle, limiting waste generation and minimizing adverse impacts on the environment”.

The law also stipulates the responsibilities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Provincial People's Committee for implementing circular economy integration right from the stage of strategy formulation, plans, programs, development scheme; management, recycling and reuse of waste”; “production, business and service establishments are responsible for setting up a management system and taking measures to reduce resource exploitation and reduce waste, raising the level of reuse and recycling of waste right from the project construction phase, designing of products and goods to product and distribute. Particularly, the Law assigns the Government to stipulate criteria, route, a mechanism to encourage the implementation of the circular economy in accordance with the country's socio-economic conditions.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held a conference, training workshop for localities in organizing the implementation of new regulations of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020.

Comparing popular policy tools to promote circular economy adoption in Vietnam with countries in the world that are typical in transitioning to a circular economy like China, the European Union (including typical member states such as France, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, etc.), shows that Vietnam has built a fairly adequate legal and policy foundation to promote the implementation of the circular economy by different sectors and areas of the economy such as waste separation at source; green public procurement; Extended producer responsibility (EPR); promoting the recycling market; preferential and supportive measures; developing environmental industry, environmental services, green shopping, green credit, green bonds....

Based on the concept stated in Law on Environmental Protection, Decree guiding the implementation of the Law also stipulates detailed criteria, route and mechanism to encourage the implementation of circular economy in Vietnam.

Forming a circular economy model

To soon put the Law and guiding documents into practice, over the past time, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has organized many training sessions, propagate and raise awareness about circular economy in particular and the law on environmental protection in general for people and businesses. Many models of effective economic development in production and consumption have been directly introduced and promoted to businesses, business associations and production households.

Besides, within the framework of the Conference kicking off the development of a national action plan to implement circular economy of Vietnam, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launch Vietnam Circular Economy Network. Network to raise awareness and capacity build for all related parties in the systematic application of the principles of the circular economy, create synergy and integrate financial resources and techniques to support cyclic and low-carbon transition in Vietnam.

The model of treating organic waste into fertilizer significantly contributes to reducing the amount of waste released into the environment (Illustration)

Currently, many businesses in Vietnam have started to implement business models towards sustainable development under the support of the Government, aiming at prolonging the product life cycle, reducing production materials that have a negative impact on the environment; applying technology to develop environmentally friendly services to respond to climate change such as burning waste to recover energy, burning waste to generate electricity; treating solid waste into construction materials; circular wastewater in industrial zones such as Nam Cau Kien Industrial Park,…

Many localities have also organized the implementation of many models, projects towards circular economy such as Model of plastic waste treatment; model of composting and processing manure from waste; turning waste into livelihood; scrap recycling; Eco-brick model – handling inorganic waste into building materials;…In which, many models have been implemented effectively, contributing to raising people's incomes and protecting the environment. For example, in Dong Anh district (Hanoi), there are 24 communes/towns with over 10,000 households that have implemented classification and treated organic waste as fertilizer from January 2021 to May 2022. Thereby, it has contributed to a reduction of up to 70% of waste in the environment, uses organic waste as fertilizer for plants; reduces 30-50% of waste/household/day compared to before; treats 50-60% of organic in households and communities; collects 5-14% of recyclable waste and sold to collectors.

Source: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

See more:

(1) Announcement of Circular Business Model: International experience and application in Vietnam!

(2) Business model towards circular economy!

(3) EPR - Instructions for registration of plans, recycling reports and declaration of financial contributions to the fund of environmental protection!

(4) Can Thanh Primary School : Sorting waste at source - "Exchange garbage to receice gifts!

(5) Sorting waste at source, A Chau Co., Ltd accompanies the new program  +++