At a workshop on 18/9 seeking feedback on a draft law amending and supplementing several agricultural and environmental laws, Jonathan Sourintha, co-chair of EuroCham Vietnam's Green Growth subcommittee, said Vietnam needs preferential policies for green economic development. For example, exempting recycled plastic packaging from extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees.
He said this would encourage businesses to switch to more environmentally friendly materials. If more time is needed to finalize the policy, Sourintha hopes Vietnam will apply mandatory recycling rates and lower financial fees for recycled plastic packaging compared to traditional packaging.
"The ceiling for adjusting the mandatory recycling rate for recycled plastic should be a maximum of 2-3% per cycle, in line with Vietnam's current collection and recycling capacity and infrastructure," he added.
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Jonathan Sourintha speaking at the workshop. Photo: KT |
Regarding regulations penalizing businesses that have not fulfilled their recycling obligations, Le Thi Hong Nhi, head of the ESG working group at the British Business Group Vietnam (BritCham), said the regulations need to be changed to be more open and integrate options for fulfilling recycling responsibilities.
The BritCham representative suggested adding a provision allowing businesses to simultaneously combine two EPR implementation methods: self-organized recycling and financial contributions. Businesses could contribute to a fund an amount corresponding to the unfulfilled recycling volume, instead of being penalized.
Le Thi Hoai Thuong, a representative of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), also said that policies should be developed to encourage the use of recycled plastic, such as EPR exemptions for packaging made from recycled PET plastic or other environmentally friendly materials.
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Nguyen Hung Thinh speaking at the workshop. Photo: KT |
Nguyen Hung Thinh, deputy director of the Vietnam Environment Administration (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said the draft revised law only mentions the groups that need support, while specific preferential policies will be reflected in laws on taxes and fees consulted by the Ministry of Finance.
Regarding the proposal to reduce recycling rates, Thinh shared the view of the law-making agency that businesses should be encouraged to recover and recycle, rather than through financial contributions, as this could shift the responsibility from producers to consumers through pricing.
Gia Chinh
