Hanoi (VNA) – Criteria for the Vietnam Eco-label, specificallytargeting environmentally friendly plastic packaging have been established,aiming to encourage the responsible utilisation of natural resources and protectthe environment.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan has signed adecision on issuing the criteria.

The eco-label includes biodegradable plastic packaging and environmentallyfriendly plastic packaging, primarily composed of polyethylene (PE) orpolypropylene (PP).

These may come in various forms such as bags or films used for wrapping,covering, storing, and protecting the utility value of products, goods, indomestic or industrial, agricultural, and construction sectors.

The criteria for the Vietnam Eco-label for environmentally friendly plastic packaginginclude general requirements that involve products to be manufactured atfacilities adhering to environmental protection laws and other relevantregulations.

There are three specific criteria concerning materials, substances, and fuels;technical characteristics and permissible limits of pollution parameters in theproduct; and recovery, recycling, processing, and disposal.

For the first criterion, concerning materials, packaging materials mustoriginate from biodegradable plastic materials (for biodegradable plasticpackaging) or clean recycled PE and PP plastics (for recycled plasticpackaging). They should not contain any additives prohibited for importation oruse in Vietnam.

Moreover, the use of inks, dyes, and other additives must comply withenvironmental and health safety regulations for packaging production.

The criterion related to technical specifications and allowable limits forpollution parameters in the product must ensure quality according to nationalstandards or equivalent international standards (if available).

For biodegradable plastic packaging, the minimum biodegradation rate should be90% within two years in natural environments, compost, or landfill waste sites.

For recycled plastic packaging, at least 20% of the packaging materials mustcome from recycled plastic.

The last criterion regarding recovery, recycling, processing, and disposalincludes plans for recovering and recycling used packaging, information aboutrecycling facility addresses, the recovery and recycling process, disposal,recycling technology, solutions for recovering, recycling, processing, anddisposing of used packaging, and environmental protection measures –all incompliance with legal regulations.

Plastic packaging persists in the environment for hundreds of years beforecomplete decomposition, leading to pollution issues due to inadequate recyclingand co-disposal with other types of waste. The plastic production process forpackaging also has significant environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gasemissions, fuel consumption, and depletion of natural resources.

Efficient packaging production positively impacts both the economy and theenvironment by reducing costs associated with using petroleum-based plastic rawmaterials in the production process, cutting waste disposal expenses inlandfills, decreasing resource extraction for plastic production, and loweringgreenhouse gas emissions./.