(VOVWORLD) - Teams with groundbreaking solutions to plastic pollution were honored at the 2025 Plastics Innovation Programme Awards ceremony in Hanoi on Wednesday.
 Finalists pitch solutions to plastic pollution to a panel of judges. (Photo: Anh Huyen/VOV5) |
The initiative was co-organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam. Since its launch in February the competition has received 116 entries from all over Vietnam, 25 of which made the final round.
According to World Bank estimates, Vietnam annually generates about 3.9 million tons of plastic waste and discharges 0.28 to 0.73 million tons of it into the ocean.
At the award ceremony, Ms. Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam, said: "So these are just not just the statistics, they reflect the strength of Vietnam's innovation ecosystem, a dynamic community rising to confront one of the most challenging and urgent problems of our time, plastic pollution. Their ideas span new materials, smart technologies, circular business models, and bold policy innovations. They're not just pitching projects, they are pitching solutions and hope, hope for a more resilient, more sustainable Vietnam."
 Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi speaks at the award ceremony. (Photo: Anh Huyen/VOV5) |
The solutions honored at the awards ceremony will be promoted, with the support of UNDP, to help realize Vietnam’s policies on sustainable development, green transition, and the circular economy.