The Vietnam Plastics Association aims for green consumption trends.

*Several plastic products were displayed in the exhibition area of the event. Photo: Quang Phuong*

On October 22nd, the Vietnam Plastics Association (VPA) celebrated its 35th anniversary. This event marked a proud milestone for Vietnam's plastics industry, opening a dialogue on development directions in a new era – one focused on innovation, the circular economy , and social responsibility.

Ms. Huynh Thi My, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Plastics Association (VPA), called on the VPA business community to shift its growth model from quantity-based development to quality-based development, invest systematically in eco-design, raise quality standards, and enhance the capacity to meet environmental commitments, in order to anticipate the growing trend of green consumption.

Mr. Dinh Duc Thang, Chairman of the VPA, emphasized: “Vietnam is entering a new era of development with increasingly stringent requirements regarding the environment, tariffs, and international green standards. This is both a challenge and a driving force for the plastics industry to restructure, innovate technology and design, promote the circular economy, strengthen recycling, and develop environmentally friendly materials.” He called for the concerted efforts of the business community to build a sustainable development model, thereby affirming its position domestically, integrating firmly, and becoming an important link in the global supply chain.

Drawing on international experience in "keeping plastic within the economy, but out in the ocean," the VPA Chairman conveyed the message "Aspiration to reach new heights" as a guiding principle for the entire industry. He also suggested that the industry needs to proactively secure raw materials, reducing dependence on imports (as over 70% of plastic resins still need to be imported), by strongly developing the domestic petrochemical industry; steadfastly pursuing green and circular development alongside high growth, contributing positively to the government 's double-digit GDP growth target in the coming years.

Meanwhile, from a strategic perspective, Professor Vu Minh Khuong (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy – National University of Singapore) proposed a breakthrough roadmap for Vietnam's plastics industry. In this roadmap, digitalization and automation are the main drivers, public-private partnerships are the implementation methods, and the circular economy is the operational framework aimed at sustainable development and enhancing the industry's competitiveness regionally and globally.

Within the framework of the event, a memorandum of understanding was also signed between VPA and the Vietnam Waste Recycling Association for the period 2025–2028. Accordingly, the two sides will cooperate in developing technical standards for recycled materials, sharing technology and market data, training human resources, piloting models for collection, sorting, and recycling at the local level, and supporting businesses in meeting traceability, certification, and environmental standards requirements in major export markets.

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