The Innovation and Finance Technical Group – co-chaired by the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) – aims to bring together government agencies, organizations and businesses at home and abroad to promote innovative ideas and solutions to drive positive changes in reducing, reusing and recycling plastic, as well as unlocking new sustainable finance streams.
DRS is a system in which consumers pay a small deposit when purchasing plastic bottles or beverage cans. The deposit is refunded when they return the container to a designated collection point. This mechanism encourages consumers to return used containers for recycling and reuse, reducing pressure on landfills and protecting rivers and oceans from plastic waste leakage.
A high-performance deposit-return system can significantly promote the recycling of beverage containers such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans with high recovery rates, and is also a key approach to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implemented by businesses - who produce and use these cans.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Mette Møglestue - Deputy Ambassador of Norway in Hanoi said that the Deposit-Return System has been proven to be the best performing system in terms of collecting and recycling the highest percentage of beverage containers. Considered a model for the collection and recycling of containers, Norway's DRS is one of the most effective models in the world , associated with the EPR implementation mechanism.
Highlighting Norway’s successful model of cooperation between Government – research institute – business, Ms. Møglestue emphasized: “Within the framework of our cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam, and relevant partners such as the National Action Partnership Programme on Plastics (UNDP Vietnam), we appreciate the opportunity to share Norway’s success story and other international practices to support the strengthening of Vietnam’s legal framework on EPR and DRS”.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment - Head of the Technical Group emphasized that the establishment of the Innovation and Finance Group is part of the NPAP action plan agreed upon at the annual meeting of the NPAP Program Working Group on April 12, 2023. This is the first Technical Group to be launched and operate within the framework of the NPAP Program to promote innovation in the Program's operations to suit practical requirements after 2 years of implementation in Vietnam.
In particular, the launch of this Technical Group marks an approach that is consistent with the general trend of the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), and will also contribute to supporting and promoting innovative solutions to address plastic waste and plastic pollution in Vietnam through advocacy and mobilizing support resources for Vietnam, enhancing access to and sharing technology related to reducing plastic pollution.
Accordingly, the members of the Technical Group include: National Innovation Center (NIC), Dow Vietnam, Unilever, An Phat Holdings, Duy Tan Recycling, GreenHub, Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF), Innovation Norway, UNDP, and the World Bank. The Technical Group has also attracted the participation of a number of innovators under the UNDP-organized “Plastic Pollution Reduction Innovation Challenge” such as: Galaxy Biotech – an entity that can encourage other innovators to access the NPAP platform and explore new investment opportunities.
Commercial Counsellor of the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, Director of Innovation Norway Arne-Kjetil Lian highly appreciated the launch of the Technical Group on Innovation and Finance, in which Innovation Norway will be a member and committed to contributing knowledge and expertise to the group.
For the successful implementation of the EPR mechanism, according to Mr. Arne-Kjetil Lian, the private sector has a crucial role to play as both a policy implementer and a provider of innovative solutions. In particular, the DRS system can significantly promote the circularity of beverage containers and improve sustainable packaging processes while helping to change consumer behavior.
“In addition, an effective DRS system will help increase collection rates, thereby supporting the achievement of more ambitious recycling targets and ensuring full implementation of EPR obligations,” Mr. Arne-Kjetil Lian emphasized.
During the event, participants shared their experiences and expertise on the Deposit and Refund System (DRS), including its benefits, challenges, pilot schemes and a planned feasibility study to develop policy recommendations for the adoption of DRS in Vietnam. Participants also discussed further the NPAP Technical Working Group’s work plan for 2023, which proposes exploring and leveraging existing resources to further promote plastics innovation and good practices.
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