BUILDING A BETTER WORLD FOR ALL
Project Introduction
Approved under Decision no. 1426/QĐ-BTNMT dated July 02, 2020, by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Project “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris in Viet Nam” facilitates the development of guidelines on policy advocacy and communication programs to capacity building, awareness raising and behaviour change, towards the mitigation of marine plastic debris. The project constitutes a potential contributor to the reduction of marine plastic debris in Viet Nam and the materialisation of the National Action Plan for Marine Plastic Debris Management in Viet Nam by 2030.
Project: Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris in Viet Nam
Timeline: December 2019 – December 2023
Project Sponsor: WWF-Germany (Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Federal Republic of Germany)
Project Owner: Viet Nam Administration of Sea and Islands
Governing Body: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Participating Area: A Luoi, Da Nang, Dong Hoi, Ha Tinh, Long An, Rach Gia, Tuy Hoa, Con Dao, Cu Lao Cham and Phu Quoc.
Objectives and Missions
Through this project, WWF supports Viet Nam in its implementation of waste management activities. They offer support particularly in terms of plastic pollution in hopes of minimizing the impact of plastic waste on marine ecosystems; conserving marine biodiversity, particularly marine protected areas that are seriously hit by marine plastic pollution; improving community and society’s understanding on the causal relationship between plastic waste disposal and adverse effects on the marine environment and human health; and enhancing authorities’ management capacity and implementation of activities involving the management of marine plastic debris.
COMMUNICATION PROGRAM TO RAISE AWARENESS AND DRIVE BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Implement communication programs to build capacity, raise awareness and drive behaviour change towards the mitigation of plastic waste at central and local levels.
MANAGEMENT POLICY AND EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY
Develop and implement policies to ensure improved solid waste management and incorporate a support mechanism that aids the adoption of Extented Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for the manufacture and use of plastic packaging.
PLASTIC SMART CITIES
Design plastic waste reduction pilots in 07 (seven) representative cities/districts based on WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities with a high level of commitment.
MARINE PROTECTED AREA
Manage the plastic waste in 03 (three) key marine protected areas including Phu Quoc, Cu Lao Cham and Con Dao.
LET’s BUILD A better world
IMPACTS ON CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Improve public understanding that single-use plastic products constitute a hazard to the environment and human health; therefore, the behaviour change towards mitigation of single-use plastic products could be established.
Provide the media with enhanced knowledge and accurate information to improve its effectiveness and monitor the impact of communication on society.
Cultivate global cooperation and knowledge transfer on cross-border issues of marine plastic debris to maintain Viet Nam’s effective communication channel on the management of marine plastic debris, and foster engagement with the international community on the conservation of natural resources and environment.
Improve the capacity of central, local and corporate human capital in plastic waste management, as well as an understanding of regulations and producers’ responsibilities for plastic and plastic products throughout a product’s lifespan, from production to the post-consumer stage. This supports the development, finalisation and implementation of mechanisms and policies regarding state management.
Improve the interaction among the community, the private sector and marine protected areas as well as their motivation to reduce marine plastic pollution and prevent biodiversity loss, particularly in coastal areas.
07 (seven) cities/districts and 03 (three) marine protected areas were selected as participants in the Plastic Smart City programme, which will be conducive to the replication of the model into other cities/districts, as described in the policies and strategies for the management and reduction of plastic waste.
IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Drastic reduction of plastic leakage shall lessen the impact of plastic waste on marine biodiversity, and protect natural resources against the threat of plastic pollution.
Improved management of solid and plastic waste shall also contribute to the minimisation of the impacts of plastic waste on climate change, and air, water and soil pollution, particularly caused by unsanitary landfills.
IMPACTS ON THE ECONOMY
Empowering cities to become Plastic Smart will create clean cities and tourist areas – a visually appealing and luring impression in the eyes of tourists, and promote the tourism economy. Besides, the reuse of plastic resources and the increase of employment opportunities for different types of workers will become more feasible by driving better management of plastic wastes towards a circular economy.
IMPACTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH
Mitigating plastic usage, particularly when it comes to single-use plastic, will foster better habits of limiting the exposure of food to plastic of unknown origin and poor quality. Reducing plastic leakage also brings down the entry of microplastics into the food chain, which poses a threat to public health.