Description of the post-consumer plastic packaging value chain in a commune from a rural district of HCMC: Implications for EPR implementation

The pilot project ‘Enhancing plastic packaging collection, sorting and recycling’, implemented by the Institut de la Recherche pour le Development (IRD) and the Hanoi Architectural University (HAU), is funded by the ‘Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter’ project of the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). ‘Rethinking Plastics’ is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Expertise France.

The pilot project aims to increase the collection, sorting and recycling of plastic packaging in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to reduce its environmental leakage. To reach this objective, it works on determining how much and what kind of plastic is collected, how and by whom it is transferred and processed or when it is leaked into the environment. Finally, it assesses if and how the plastic waste is recycled and what would be needed to enhance recycling. In addition, the project investigates how segregation at household level can be improved. A better cooperation between all stakeholders will enhance the understanding of the plastic value chain and related data. Involved stakeholders therefore include producers and consumers, as well as collectors, businesses, transporters of packaging and recyclers. With these data and experiences, the pilot project can contribute knowledge about suitable options for a legal framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, which is currently being developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Vietnam.