Seminar seeks to promote alternatives to single-use plastic products

Single-use plastic straws (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A seminar was held in Hanoi on March 2 to find solutions to replace plastic bags and single-use plastic products in Vietnam and help connect manufacturers and retailers in the supply of these products.

Jointly organised by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in coordination with the European Union and its partners, the seminar also offered an opportunity for participants to discuss options to promote the development of alternatives to single-use plastic products.

Addressing the event, Nguyen Trung Thang, ISPONRE Deputy Director, said many policies have been approved by the Vietnamese Government to limit plastic bags and single-use plastic products.

The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection stipulates the responsibility of manufacturers for waste recycling and treatment, he said, adding that regulations on the reduction, recycling and treatment of plastic waste as well as prevention and control of ocean plastic waste are also included.

Within the framework of the project “Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter” funded by the European Union and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the ISPONRE collaborated with the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade to set up a supermarket alliance, which draws the participation of 16 supermarkets, in an effort reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags in Vietnam.

Sharing experience to support Vietnamese businesses and consumers towards sustainable production and consumption, Rui Ludovino, First Counselor in charge of climate action, environment, employment and social policy at the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam, said that many initiatives on producing environmental-friendly products have been developed in Europe to solve the problem of plastic bags and single-use plastic products./.