Informing at the Workshop on Promoting efficient and sustainable packaging recycling in Vietnam, Mr. Ho Kien Trung - Deputy Director of the Department of Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) said that the beverage industry is one of the industries that generates the largest packaging volume today. Packaging types such as PET plastic bottles, aluminum cans, multi-layer paper boxes... are familiar in daily life, but are also a significant source of waste. If they are not collected and recycled effectively, they will put pressure on the waste and environmental management system.
In the context of Vietnam promoting the development of a circular economy and reducing plastic waste, promoting the recycling of beverage packaging is extremely important. This activity contributes to saving resources, reducing emissions, and creating a source of recycled materials for new production, while bringing practical benefits to businesses in building their image and sustainable development.
Mr. Trung said that in the past 3 years, even though it is only in the implementation stage, the industry has achieved remarkable results. The recycling rate has increased sharply, especially a part of recycled waste that has been exported abroad. Export activities are currently mainly focused on plastic packaging, with significant economic value, even higher than domestic consumption, opening up great potential for the packaging recycling industry.
According to the representative of the EPR office (Department of Environment), with the responsibility for recycling, manufacturers and importers of tire humming tires, oil, batteries, batteries and some packaging products are responsible for recycling from January 1, 2024; manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic products are responsible for recycling from January 1, 2025; manufacturers and importers of vehicle products are responsible for recycling from January 1, 2027.
Regarding roadmap subjects, this is a new point amended in Decree 050. According to the previous regulations, for NL 08, recycling responsibility for each year, manufacturers and importers must register and fulfill their responsibilities in that year, and the provisional figure to fulfill their recycling responsibility is calculated based on the production volume brought to the market and imported in the previous year.
To promote the recycling of beverage packaging, Ms. Chu Thi Van Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Beer - Alcohol - Beverage Association (VBA) said that it is necessary to develop a number of appropriate and effective mechanisms and policies. First of all, the policy of encouraging the use of recycled plastic packaging (such as rPET) in production is a contribution to promoting the development of the recycled material market. At the same time, the cost of implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) needs to be included in reasonable and valid costs when businesses settle taxes. The State should also supplement support policies to improve and develop infrastructure, collection - recycling technology, especially for hard-to- process materials.
A representative of the Department of Environment said that the comments and proposals at the Workshop will be thoroughly accepted and studied to have appropriate mechanisms and policies in the coming time related to EPR in general and packaging recycling in the beverage industry in particular.
