Hanoi, 11/04/2024 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in collaboration with the Viet Nam Circular Economy Hub, organize a consultation workshop within the framework of the pilot initiative for a secondary material marketplace. The workshop aims to review current regulations for the online market for secondary plastic and textile materials and determine the needs of relevant stakeholders within the framework of the initiative to pilot an online trading platform for waste and by-products of the plastic and textile industries. Attending the event, are participants from agencies, recyclers, e-commerce platform owners, technology companies, investors, development organizations, non-profit organizations, and research and policy-making agencies.
At the workshop, Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, shared that digitalisation offers promising solutions across material value chains, particularly in connecting suppliers and buyers, while improving transparency and standardization. Mr. Haverman also raised related questions on the role of the marketplace in addressing the gaps and taking advantage of EPR regulations’ opportunities on recycled plastic and textiles, and other related legal issues.
Senior official, representative of the Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ms. Tran Minh Hue emphasized the project-oriented approach and application of the circular economy model at the business level, specifically business to business. The marketplace is expected to help connect supply and demand, increase input of secondary materials, and create conditions for businesses to carry out initiatives to promote the production of fully recycled products.
In this context, digitisation offers promising solutions across the recycling value chain. There exist solutions to make recycling easier for consumers, enhance collection, improve material identification, aid in regulatory compliance, and create marketplaces for recycled materials. However, there lacks a comprehensive local web-based marketplace in Viet Nam to promote reliable trading of recycles. Existing platforms often lack information on material origin, quality, and sustainability, while large corporations, who are major consumers of recycled materials, demand stringent verification to ensure ethical and sustainable sourcing.
Therefore, a specialized marketplace piloted in the plastics and textiles sectors offers a timely solution, addressing current gaps and leveraging opportunities presented by new EPR regulations and global demand for recycled textiles. This technology-based market application will facilitate online trading, providing a more accessible and user-friendly platform for sellers and buyers, with an emphasis on transparency and verification.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is aiming to promote web-based marketplaces to foster the market for secondary materials in Viet Nam, starting with recycled plastics and textiles. This measure is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The workshop’s materials and recordings can be found here.
