Retailers’ alliance launched to help reduce use of disposable plastic bags
An alliance of retailers who pledged to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags made its debut at a ceremony held by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade on January 14.
Hanoi (VNA) – An alliance of retailers who pledged to reduce the use of disposable plasticbags made its debut at a ceremonyheld by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on NaturalResources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade onJanuary 14.
Vice director of the institute NguyenTrung Thang said the two agencies have called on businesses to sign acommitment to join the alliance in a bid to reduce the consumption ofsingle-use plastic productꦿs.
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This is partof activities within the framework of the “Rethinking Plastics - Circular EconomySolutions to Marine Litter in Vietnam” project funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Government.
The 16-member alliance is the first initiative to bring together retailers, helpingthem find a common voice in reducing the use of single-use plastic bags, towards protecting the environment andpromoting sustainable development in Vietnam, Thang said.
According toThang, the Prime Minister has issued a decision approving the scheme for strengtheningmanagement of plastic waste in Vietnam, which set to use 100 percent ofenvironmentally friendly plastic bags and packaging at shopping centres andsupermarkets for domestic purposes as replacement for non-biodegradable plasticbags; and collect, reuse, recycle and dispose 85 percent of generated plasticwaste.
Thang said the ISPONREwill continue to coordinate with partners – the VietnamPackaging Recycling Alliance, the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam, the Embassy ofthe Netherlands in Vietnam, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, the VietnamNational Plastic Action Partnership programme, the Vietnam Business for Environment (VB4E) Alliance, and the Asia Foundation to promote communicationactivities to change public behaviour – in this field.
Acting Director of Hanoi’s Department of I♕ndustry and Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan saidthe alliance will contribute to achieving the goal of reducing the use of disposableplastic bags in retail stores, thus realising the goal of sustainableproduction and consumption./.
The National Strategy on Environment Protection aims to cut plastic bag use in traditional markets in half by 2020. However, the goal is difficult due to numerous factors.
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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
Illustrative image (Photo: ) 
