By Eliseo Barcas, Managing Director & President, Tetra Pak Vietnam –
Sustainability has become an increasingly important topic in recent years, as we’ve come to realize the impact our way of life is having on the environment. The journey towards sustainable transformation is one that requires a collaborative effort from all parties involved. One of the activities that have been promoted intensively by the authorities and enterprises in Việt Nam is recycling.
Recycling: a critical part of the circular economy
The collection of recyclable materials is the first link in a chain of economic activity. That includes manufacturing recycled products, which provides jobs and high wages to localities. Recycling is critical not only for reducing pollution but also for conserving energy and natural resources.
By recycling materials, we can prevent pollution and help to protect our planet for future generations. All of these factors make recycling a critical part of creating a circular economy and preserving the environment.
A valuable resource
In this context, we need to change the way we see used packaging: they are not waste.
They are a valuable resource that can be recycled into new products.
For that reason, used beverage cartons are the focus of a new program run by Tetra Pak in partnership with Circular Action and Packaging Recycling Organization Vietnam (PRO Vietnam), which will not only provide a recycling solution but also deliver additional income to potentially thousands of waste pickers.
Pilot project
The pilot project will take place in Ho Chi Minh City until March 2023 with an aim to collect and completely recycle 3,000 tons of beverage cartons. They will be turned into useful products such as paperboard materials and bio-roof panels.
For the first time, the recycling activities are being run in collaboration and co-sponsorship with PRO Vietnam and Circular Action (the application of digital solutions organisation that will manage the carton collection).
The buy-back model of used beverage cartons in the community is one example of how we are working together to create a more sustainable future for our planet. The program helps build awareness and encourage waste pickers who are already actively participating in the community to collect cartons at source. Selling used cartons to recyclers will improve the commercial value of this kind of waste.
Building the ecosystem
This new recycling opportunity is to provide vital and additional income for waste pickers. The program aims to build an ecosystem of collecting and recycling cartons from the very beginning of the collection chain to include those who gather the waste.
Approaching and engaging more aggregators will increase the program coverage and collection volume in the coming year. And in turn, this will help improve the collection and recycling rate and reduce the number of cartons discharged into the environment, thus moving towards a circular economy.
Collaboration and impact
The small actions we take every day can have an immense impact on our planet, and sometimes just starting to collect and recycle used beverage cartons is an important step in creating a more sustainable Vietnam.
By working together to recycle used beverage cartons, we can make positive changes.
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