"Let's reduce plastic waste" online campaign launched

Communication plan for online campaign "Let's reduce plastic waste" kicked off

The Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) organised a press conference on October 7 to introduce the "Let's reduce plastic waste" online communication campaign and its website to promote activities to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags at retail chains.

The communication campaign, which is organised by the ISPONRE in collaboration with the Packaging Recycling Organization (PRO Viet Nam), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Viet Nam), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Viet Nam, the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and Touch Media, will include various activities to promote behavioural change across the whole society.

“Plastic waste is an alarming problem in Viet Nam and we need to all work together to address it. As an organ of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, ISPONRE is studying this problem to find a solution. We are co-operating with the Expertise France and Ha Noi’s Department of Industry and Trade to implement the project called 'An innovative initiative to establish the alliance of supermarkets to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags in Viet Nam', which is a part of the 'Rethinking Plastics – Circular economy solutions to marine litter' project to mobilise retailers to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags,” Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director General of ISPONRE.

Fanny Quertamp, Senior Advisor in Viet Nam at Expertise France said, “In the framework of 'Rethinking Plastics', through the Plastic Alliance pilot project, the EU and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) from Germany will accompany Viet Nam in reducing marine litter via communication campaigns and mobilise supermarkets and customers to change their behaviours of using single-use plastic bags.”

Communication activities will include the livestreaming of the musical "Disappearing bags" and the online photo exhibition "Green bags for shopping" to encourage consumers to use environmentally-friendly bags, which is scheduled on October 8, at 19.00.

Besides, there will be a "Disappearing bags" singing contest from October 11 to November 12. Accordingly, participants can record and share their performances on Facebook, tag the campaign, or challenge others to sing and dance on Tik Tok. Videos can be shared for one month from the contest launch.

Furthermore, the website will launch other photo exhibitions, show media videos, organise livestreams, and contests to raise public awareness to mobilise more partners to reduce plastic waste in general and reduce plastic bags in particular.

Rethinking Plastics

The pilot project on setting up the “Plastic Alliance" is part of the "Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter” Project commissioned by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The main beneficiary of the pilot project is Ministry of Industry and Trade.

This larger project is implemented by Expertise France and GIZ across Vietnam China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand Singapore, and Japan from May 2019 until April 2022. In Vietnam, the Rethinking Plastics project is implemented by Expertise France in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The initiative aims to support the transition towards the sustainable consumption and production of plastic in East and Southeast Asia to contribute to a significant reduction of marine litter.

At the same time, the initiative aims to strengthen EU cooperation with regional partners to promote circular economy as well as reduce plastic waste and marine litter reduction, as outlined by the EU Plastics Strategy.