A group of nine major corporations in Vietnam want to collaborate on finding a recycling solution and are teaming up to do it. They created the Packaging Recycling Organization (PRO) Vietnam, an outfit that wants to the build up a circular economy in Vietnam while also making the recycling of packaging more accessible and sustainable for the public.
Members of the PRO Vietnam include a who’s who of business players. Coca-Cola, FrieslandCampina, La Vie, Nestlé, NutiFood, Suntory PepsiCo, Tetra Pak, TH Group, and URC have all signed on to be a part of the program that hopes to improve recycling in Vietnam. The project is the first time that competing businesses have come together on an environmental project in Vietnam.
According to the organization, it will have four pillars of activities to help it reach its goals. PRO Vietnam plans to raise recycling awareness and segregation among the public; strengthen the existing packaging collection eco-system; support recycling programs of processors and recyclers; and work with the government to improve upon current recycle practices. The outfit is also looking at ways to partner with research institutions to find new environmental solutions moving forward.
“PRO Vietnam’s ambition is that by 2030 all packaging materials put into the market by its members is collected for recycling.” Phạm Phú Ngọc Trai, Chairman of PRO Vietnam, told Viet Nam News. “With the growth in waste generation, this challenge of packaging waste is likely to worsen without concerted public-private intervention. Thus the need to support a packaging collection and recycling eco-system which can increase recycling rates and reduce packaging leakage has become imperative.”
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Estimates show that urban waste in the country is expected to increase by 38 percent between 2016 and 2030. The group hopes its efforts improve recycling in Vietnam from top-to-bottom, reducing the impact of urban waste on the environment.
“Achieving a balance of recycling in Vietnam requires a lot of effort from the parties and is a long way. The contribution of nine companies is the first step to this long journey,” Ganesan Ampalavanar, Managing Director of Nestlé Vietnam, explained. “We hope all companies in Vietnam, not only multinational companies, large-scale companies, but even the smallest companies like grocery stores or restaurants, can join this program. When everyone joins, we will create a big wave spreading in the community, thereby building a clean, green and beautiful Vietnam.”
