Jointly minimize single-use plastic products in supermarkets and malls.

On August 25, 2023, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Department of Safety Engineering and the Industrial Environment hosted a workshop titled "Policy for Reducing, Replacing Single-Use Plastic Products, Biodegradable Plastic Packaging in Supermarkets and Commercial Centres."

Ms. Do Phuong Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Safety and Industrial Environment, stated at the Workshop's inauguration that the Industry and Trade sector has achieved significant progress in recent years, paralleling the country's growth. Despite the global economic recession, Vietnam's exports and imports are expected to reach $732 billion by 2022, a 10% rise over 2021.

Miss Do Phuong Dung, Deputy Director of ATMT, opened the lecture.

According to Dung, the plastic sector in Vietnam is one of the fastest expanding, with an annual growth rate of 16-18%. Plastic output will reach 9.54 million tons by 2022, with 3,300 plastic firms employing 250,000 people. Vietnam's demand for plastic items continues to climb, with per capita plastic usage increasing at 10.6% yearly. It is, however, the growth in plastic waste.

The overall quantity of plastic garbage created is 2.9 million tons, according to the Plastic Waste Status Report for 2022, and it is expanding at a pace of roughly 5% each year. Although 2.4 million tons of plastic trash is collected, only 0.9 million tons are categorized for recycling and 0.77 million tons are recycled. The overall amount of plastic waste released into the environment is 0.42 million tonnes, with single-use plastic goods and biodegradable plastic packaging accounting for most of it. As per the ATMT Department's leadership, there is a need for unity among the levels, sectors, political-social organizations, and people of Vietnam in the region's and the world's combined efforts to tackle this problem.

"Policy for Reducing, Replacing Single-Use Plastic Products, Biodegradable Plastic Packaging in Supermarkets and Commercial Centres" Conference to raise awareness and responsibility of enterprises, workers, and managers in environmental protection work together to change the habits of use of single-use plastic products, to minimize adverse environmental impacts, promote sustainable, rational use, save natural resources, while enhancing recycling, reuse, and circulation

The program examined the current use of single-use plastic items and biodegradable plastic packaging in shopping malls. Overview of the plastics industry, plastic recycling concerning single-use plastics, and biodegradable plastics packaging; Simultaneously discuss and eliminate issues and roadblocks in implementing rules on limits, replacement of throwaway plastic items, and biodegradable plastic packaging in commercial centers. From there, recommended policies and regulations on single-use plastic product reduction, limitation of use and disposal, and biodegradable plastic packaging to fulfill environmental protection standards in Vietnam and needs for future integration.

Delegates from the Department of Safety and Industrial Environment, the Institute for Strategic and Commercial Policy Research (Ministry of Commerce and Commerce), the Vietnam Waste Recycling Association, several supermarket management enterprises, and shopping centers attended the conference.

Source: MOIT