Boosting sustainable packaging management for environmental protection

The Vietnam Environment Agency and Nestlé Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 8 on disseminating information and raising awareness on environmental protection and sustainable packaging management.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam Environment Agency Nguyen Hung Thinh speaking at the signing ceremony. (Photo: vea.gov.vn)
Deputy Director of the Vietnam Environment Agency Nguyen Hung Thinh speaking at the signing ceremony. (Photo: vea.gov.vn)

According to Deputy Director of the Vietnam Environment Agency Nguyen Hung Thinh, over 1.8 million tonnes of plastic waste is discharged into the environment in Vietnam while only 27% of the waste is recycled by businesses.

The management of plastic waste in Vietnam is an urgent issue because the plastic waste and packaging waste discharged into the environment is directly affecting the environment, the ecosystem, the quality of life and the people’s health, Thinh noted.

“The MoU is expected to bring the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 into life and raise the awareness and responsibility of the business community and the whole society in protecting the environment and promoting a circular economy as well as sustainable packaging management in a closed cycle, from packaging design and manufacturing to collecting, recycling and reusing,” Thinh emphasised.

CEO of Nestlé Vietnam Binu Jacob made the commitment that 100% of Nestlé's packaging may be recycled or reused by 2025 and the company will reduce the use of virgin plastic by one third in the future.

Nestlé is promoting initiatives across three key areas, including developing packaging for the future, promoting the shaping a zero-waste future, and shaping new behaviour and understanding in how to use packaging.

“To pursue this commitment, we need to cooperate with the Government, ministries, authorised agencies, development organisations and stakeholders to step up the journey towards a zero-waste society, especially to thoroughly prevent the problem of nylon waste,” said the CEO of Nestlé Vietnam.