Green startup model in the heart of heritage

Green Life Ha Long Cooperative was established in December 2019 by the Green Hub Green Development Support Center, with Ms. Tran Thi Huong as Director. Born from concerns about waste pollution, especially plastic waste in a bustling coastal tourist city like Ha Long, the model not only contributes to cleaning the environment but also creates stable livelihoods for many local women.

Ms. Tran Thi Huong, Director of Green Life Ha Long Cooperative and tourists take photos with recycled bags.

With the motto "Today's trash is tomorrow's resource", Green Life focuses on collecting and recycling hard-to-decompose plastic waste such as banners, old tires, plastic bottles... The result after 5 years of operation is an impressive number: Nearly 1 million recycled household products were created from more than 15 tons of banners, thousands of bottles and hundreds of used tires.

At Green Life Cooperative, it is easy to find creative and eye-catching products: from shopping bags, backpacks, flower baskets, table and chair sets to unique ao dai made from leftover fabric or plastic scraps. Each product here has its own story, containing a message of environmental protection and encouraging a green lifestyle.

A notable point is that most of the input materials are directly collected by the cooperative members throughout Ha Long City, or are brought directly to the site by environmental companies. This not only reduces the pressure of waste in the city but also creates stable jobs for many women, helping them earn more income and have more meaning in their work.

From May 2022, Green Life Ha Long will not only be a production site but also an interesting experience destination for tourists, especially international visitors. Coming here, visitors can witness the journey of turning waste into useful products, make recycled items by themselves and listen to stories about green lifestyles.

Many groups of guests were surprised to see that old banners after teambuilding events, festivals... could be transformed into fashionable handbags or unique backpacks. Ms. Tran Thi Huong, Director of Green Life Cooperative, said: "Through this activity, we want to convey the message: Green living is not far away, but starts with small changes in daily consumption habits."

Green Life Ha Long has become an interesting destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

Green Life Ha Long is actively responding to the global campaign “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme of World Environment Day on June 5, 2025, launched by the United Nations. This is the second year in three years that this theme has been chosen, demonstrating the urgency and top priority in the fight against plastic pollution.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world produces about 430 million tons of plastic each year, most of which is single-use plastic. In Vietnam alone, 1.8 million tons of plastic waste is generated each year, but only 27% is recycled. The rest is mostly buried or burned, causing serious impacts on the environment and public health.

These alarming figures further urge models like Green Life Ha Long to develop more strongly and spread more widely. With the message “Act today, live green tomorrow - Reduce plastic, protect the sea, protect the future”, the cooperative is gradually affirming its pioneering role in promoting circular economy, green and sustainable development.

The story of Green Life Ha Long is not simply a journey of waste treatment, but also a green startup model worth learning. Protecting the environment is no longer the responsibility of one person, but an opportunity for each individual and each community to join hands to create a sustainable future.

“No one is too small to make a difference”, this is a saying often mentioned at the Cooperative, which is also the guiding principle for the journey of spreading green lifestyle, for a cleaner, greener Ha Long in the heart of the world heritage.

Hoai Minh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/mo-hinh-khoi-nghiep-xanh-giua-long-di-san-3364211.html