Seminar held on recycling plastic waste

At the seminar in Ho Chi Minh City were representatives and experts from Packaging Recycling Organization Vietnam, the Research Institute for Circular Economy Development (VNU-HCM), the Legal Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), Commercial Plastics Company, and environmental management agencies, research institutes, and related organisations.

Faced with the current situation and challenges caused by plastic waste pollution, the government of Vietnam has issued many guiding documents on improving social awareness about plastic waste prevention, and strengthening plastic waste management.

In addition, the revised Law on Environmental Protection has many breakthrough points, contributing to promoting the circular economy and increasing recycling activities in Vietnam.

The MoNRE has also organised many training sessions to spread awareness raising about the circular economy and the Law on Environmental Protection. Many models of effective circular economy in production and consumption have been introduced and promoted directly to enterprises, business associations, and production households.

"To achieve the goal of a circular economy, waste reduction and waste recycling technology is an important factor. We need to find ways to use new and advanced technologies to ensure satisfactory post-recycled products and at the same time ensure environmental protection requirements," said Dung. "The investment and development focused on waste recycling technology will help the professionals and experts in waste management gain insight into the challenges and opportunities in implementing the circular economy goals."

The objective of the seminar focused on discussing policies and legal regulations related to recycling plastic scrap in accordance with 2020's Law on Environmental Protection. The seminar introduced the advanced technologies and solutions in recycling plastic scrap to produce recycled plastic pellets (rPET), providing insight into the existing legal basis and Vietnam's strategic vision in promoting a circular economy in this area.

Nguyen Thi from the MoNRE's Legal Department said that extended producer responsibility is an approach of environmental policy, whereby the responsibility of producers and importers is extended to the stage where the product is disposed of. Producers and importers are required to be environmentally responsible throughout the life cycle of products and goods, including from design, production, consumption, and disposal.

Nguyen Hong Quan, director at VNU-HCM, spoke about the benefits of the circular economy model in reducing plastic waste pollution in Vietnam. In particular, the recycling and reuse of plastic waste help to reduce the consumption of new materials, reduce waste and save energy. In addition, this model also creates new business opportunities in the field of recycling and reuse, as well as contributes to promoting sustainable development.

Steven Granot, CEO of Commercial Plastics Holdings

Steven Granot, CEO of Commercial Plastics Holdings (Singapore), shared their technologies and experiences in rPET for the food packaging industry as well as investment plans and the application of this recycling technology in Vietnam and a growing number of other countries in the region.

The company is backed by leading global financial institutions in sustainable and responsible investments such as British International Investment, Norfund, and a Danish-led investment fund for developing nations.

"At its current operating factory, it has applied top-ranking and state-of-the-art European technologies to an efficient production process to produce rPET for food-grade packaging," said Granot.

Dung from the MoNRE added, "The workshop has great significance in recycling activities for food-grade rPET in Vietnam that currently have not received much attention and investment, in order to gradually increase the domestic recycling rate of plastic waste, and at the same time reduce the amount of imported virgin resin, contributing to reducing the amount of plastic waste leaked into the environment, achieving the goal of circular economy."

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