The signing ceremony of a public-private cooperation agreement on building a circular economy in plastic waste management, Hanoi, February 19, 2020 (Photo: Ngoc Anh)

The agreement focuses on improving public awareness about plastic waste reduction and classification at the source, supporting waste classification and plastic waste recycling, renovating new technologies and solutions for plastic waste recycling, and enhancing dialogues and policy making to help the circular economy in plastic waste management in Vietnam.

Agreement signatories include the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Dow Chemical Vietnam, the Siam Cement Group (SCG), and Unilever Vietnam.

Vo Tuan Nhan, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said: “The cooperation agreement focuses on the treatment of collected and recycled plastic waste like single-use plastic bags. The settlement of plastic waste is not only an issue of state management agencies, but also responsibility of the entire society. Following the signing ceremony, joint working teams will be set up to realize the program. In addition to three pioneering companies, we hope more and more domestic and foreign companies will join efforts in combating plastic waste in Vietnam, thus boosting the development of the national circular economy.”

Vietnam is closely working with the international community to minimize plastic waste and protect the ecological environment and oceans. In December 2017, Vietnam adopted the resolution of the UN Environment Program on the treatment of plastic waste and marine plastic litter together with 126 other nations. At the G7 summit in Canada in June 2018, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for global cooperation to deal with marine plastic litter.