August 2026 – UNDP Viet Nam continues to expand the adoption of the Responsible Sourcing Initiative (RSI) under the Plastic Circularity Project by providing targeted support to improve occupational safety and health conditions for waste workers across the plastic value chain aggregator network in Nghe An and Bac Ninh provinces.
This support, which combines capacity-building training with occupational safety and health (OSH) safeguards, addresses the risks that waste workers encounter in their daily collection, sorting, and handling activities. Through two training courses in Bac Ninh and Nghe An, the project has reached 60 waste workers from small- to large-scale junk shops and aggregators across Vikohasan’s plastic recycling value chain in Viet Nam.
Given the nature of their work, waste workers are often exposed to multiple occupational hazards, including physical and chemical hazards, along with biological, ergonomic and psychosocial risks. On a daily basis, many collect, transport, sort and hand a wide range of waste materials using basic equipment such as bicycles or carts.
Therefore, the key UNDP’s interventions focused on helping these informal waste worker (or Ve Chai, Dong Nat) identify workplace hazards, recognize and assess potential risks, and apply practical mitigation measures. A distinctive feature of the support was its emphasis on psychosocial well-being, addressing stress associated with long working hours, financial pressures, and the social stigma often faced by informal waste workers. In addition, these collectors and workers were equipped with practical knowledge and skills to improve workplace safety, including the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), safe workplace practices, accident prevention and response, fire safety, and basic first aid for common work-related injuries.
Interactive discussions provided participants with an opportunity to raise safety concerns specific to their local collection sites and discuss practical ways to address them. Ms Thuy, a waste worker at Viet Xanh in Nghe An province, shared: “I found the occupational safety training extremely valuable because it helped me and my colleagues understand and correctly identify the different types of hazards associated with our daily work, as well as improve our knowledge of fire safety, enabling us to work more safely.”
UNDP’s Plastic Circularity Project, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation, aims to improve working conditions and strengthen the protection of waste workers, contributing to a safer, more transparent, and more responsible plastic recycling supply chain. The project achieves this through the adoption of the Harmonized Responsible Sourcing Framework, which was technically developed by the Responsible Sourcing Initiative (RSI).
