Wrapping up the project “Material flows in industry in Vietnam”

I have been working on a CCG (Climate Compatible Growth) Southern Partner Fund project in Vietnam since last year. The project was co-created with the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and the Environment (ISPONRE) and the National Economics University (NEU) in Vietnam. The team includes Mr Nguyen The Thong, Dr Lai Van Manh, and many other ISPONRE team members, Dr Nguyen Minh Khoa from the Extended Producer Responsibility Office (EPR), Dr Nguyen Cong Thanh and Dr Nguyen Hoang Nam from NEU.

The background for this study has been the introduction of environmental policies in Vietnam including EPR legislation and a planned Circular Economy (CE) National Action Plan which have led to the selection of priority sectors out of which packaging came up as a strong candidate. The study has focused on mapping material flows in different packaging industries and linking these to Vietnamese policy targets.

My visit to Vietnam in October 2024 has been to conclude project activities and participate in the dissemination event of the project. The event was held on October 31, 2024 at the Institute of Strategy, Natural Resources and Environment Policy under the title “Consulting on the results of material flow analysis research for the packaging industry in Vietnam”.

The aim of the event was to receive feedback on project findings from experts in public and private sectors and discuss the policy implications of the work. We received many positive comments about the scope of the work and useful feedback for future application of the method to other sectors. 

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director of ISPONRE, graciously gave opening remarks at the event. He highlighted the importance of Vietnamese policies and ISPONRE’s aim to contribute to practical solutions to help reduce the amount of waste and negative environmental impacts in the packaging industry in Vietnam. Dr Manh and myself then chaired the rest of the event. Mr Thong and Dr Thanh presented key findings of the project and policy recommendations. These then set the basis for a group discussion to receive participant feedback. 

Photo credit: ISPONRE. In left photo: Karla’s opening remarks, In right photo: Opening remarks from Director of ISPONRE.

Left photo credit: Karla. Mr Thong presenting findings, Right photo credit: ISPONRE.Dr Manh and Karla chairing.

I want to dedicate this post to express gratitude to the team in Vietnam for all their hard work and for making this a very fruitful collaboration. There is still a lot to do to successfully achieve all the policy aims in Vietnam, but I am sure that the team’s strong motivation will contribute to such aims.

See more event information posted by ISPONRE here: https://isponre.gov.vn/vi/news/tin-tuc/toa-dam-tham-van-ket-qua-nghien-cuu-phan-tich-dong-vat-chat-doi-voi-nganh-bao-bi-o-viet-nam-2810.html