Plastic and Health Action Partnership launched to enhance health and environment

The event was attended by over 100 representatives from the government, international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesses, universities, and research institutes such as National Plastics Action Partnership Program (NPAP), Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance (VZWA), Office of Vietnam One Health University Network (VOHUN). Connecting networks and initiatives on plastic and health will help mobilise technical and financial resources, share implementation experiences, and enhance the effectiveness of initiatives. The partnership will help synthesise and offer the most effective proposals.

Nguyen Trung Thang, deputy director of Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment said: “Solving the problem of plastic pollution requires great joint efforts by many parties such as government bodies, international organisations, NGOs, research institutes, universities, and most of all, businesses. The Plastic and Health Action Partnership (PHA) is an opportunity to mobilise participation from all stakeholders to help reduce the harms of plastic pollution to human health.”

At the event representatives from PHA discussed issues such as the linkage between plastic waste and health; some examples of waste management policies in Vietnam; and emphasised cooperation to resolve plastic waste-related health issues.

Christine Gandomi, acting director of the environment and energy office of USAID Vietnam said: “We hope that the creation of the PHA will mark the beginning of a new era of collaboration, exchange of knowledge and good practices around plastics pollution. The partnership will be among the first to focus on plastic and its impacts on human health. These exchanges and dialogues will help us address pressing development challenges in Vietnam.”

It is estimated that 25 million tonnes of solid domestic waste is generated each year in Vietnam, including 10-20 per cent plastic products (nearly 2.5-5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year). The percentage of plastic waste and single-use nylon bags in Vietnam's urban areas has rapidly increased.

In Hanoi, plastic waste accounts for nearly 12-18 per cent, of which only films and plastic bags account for 10-15 per cent. The use of single-use plastic has been causing huge harm to health and the environment.

“We are proud to be one of the established partners of PHA to collaborate on solving the plastic waste problems in Vietnam,” shared Ekkasit Lakkananithiphan, general manager of Dow Vietnam. “Dow is co-operating with partners to make new products and recycling technology that can remove plastics from the environment.”