Hanoi (VNA) - In recent years, Vietnam has made significant progress in reducing plastic pollution and gradually improving its national image, moving its name off the list of the world’s top plastic-polluting countries.
However, to continue its commitment to tackling plastic pollution, such as reducing plastic leakage by more than 43% by 2030 and cutting marine plastic waste by 75%, experts from KPMG - one of the world’s largest auditing firms - estimate that Vietnam will need 8-9 billion USD in funding over the next five years.
Maintaining commitments to plastic waste reduction
At a workshop launching the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) programme, jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam on July 9, a KPMG representative cited a World Bank (WB) report stating that Vietnam has been one of the major contributors to ocean plastic pollution in recent years.
According to the WB, Vietnam generated about 3.7 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2018. This figure is projected to reach 7.6 million tonnes by 2030.
Only 0.4 million tonnes are recycled, while most of the plastic is incinerated, dumped, or landfilled.
According to Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, since its launch in 2020, NPAP Vietnam has connected over 200 organisations and supported more than 160 plastic pollution reduction projects.
This initiative has driven over 570 innovative solutions, mobilising a total investment of more than 1 million USD.
In addition, the UNDP will also support the activities of the partnership group during the second half of 2025 to realise commitments on reducing plastic waste and plastic pollution.
On July 9, the NPAP officially launched its policy technical group. This mechanism is designed to promote consistency among legal frameworks related to plastic action and circularity.
The group brings together 15 members, including policymakers, businesses, researchers, and development partners.
Ho Kien Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment and Head of the NPAP Vietnam policy technical group, said in the coming period, the group will work closely with NPAP’s two technical groups, namely innovation and finance, and gender equality and social inclusion, to strengthen an integrated and comprehensive approach to tackling plastic pollution in Vietnam.
According to Vu Duc Dam Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, this is a crucial moment for Vietnam to proactively shape proposals in line with domestic conditions, while playing an active role as a member of the Asia-Pacific region in the process of developing the Global Agreement.
He also stated that the official launch of the NPAP policy technical group on July 9 marks a continuation of Vietnam’s commitment to addressing the growing challenges of plastic pollution through shared responsibility, as well as mobilising resources and policy solutions.
He added that in recent years, Vietnam has worked closely with international partners, non-governmental organisations, and businesses to implement programmes and projects aimed at reducing plastic pollution.
As a result, Vietnam has achieved notable progress in mitigating plastic pollution and gradually improving its national image, moving its name off the list of the world’s most plastic-polluting countries./.
