The Vietnamese plastics industry is facing a major crossroads: whether to continue developing according to the traditional model or to transform strongly towards a sustainable future. The huge amount of plastic waste and carbon emissions from production have been causing serious consequences for the environment and health. Therefore, finding and applying new technologies is a must. solutions to reduce emissions in plastic production not only an environmental imperative but also a survival strategy for businesses.
Current situation and harmful effects of waste and plastic emissions
Plastic waste has become a global problem with unpredictable consequences. Plastic products such as nylon bags, bottles made from PE and PP can take from 500 to 1000 years to decompose, polluting the soil, water and air. When decomposing, they create microplastic fragments, which penetrate the environment and food chain, directly threatening human health and the global environment. Burning plastic waste produces toxic gases such as dioxin, furan, VOCs, which can cause respiratory diseases, digestive disorders and even cancer.
In addition, the plastic production process is also a major source of emissions. Emissions from heating, melting and injection molding release a “toxic mixture” of VOCs, COx, SOx and fine dust. Wastewater containing chemical additives and solid waste from plastic scrap, if not properly treated, will cause serious pollution, contributing to the greenhouse effect and climate change.
Picture of Vietnam's plastic industry: Current situation and limitations
Despite having more than 3.300 enterprises and contributing greatly to the economy, Vietnam’s plastics industry is facing many barriers. Energy consumption in this sector increased from 5,7 billion kWh in 2016 to 7,62 billion kWh in 2019, showing an increase in production but also a potential risk of emissions.
In addition, the current state of waste treatment is still limited. Most plastic waste is still buried, dumped into the environment or burned uncontrolled, causing serious consequences. Convenient consumption habits have caused each household to use an average of 1kg of nylon bags per month, creating a huge amount of waste, especially in large cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
In terms of technology and management, the plastics industry still has many limitations. The level of compliance with regulations on energy consumption standards is still low. According to data, only 50,56% of enterprises submitted reports and only 37,99% achieved the set standards. This comes from the fact that many enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises, still use old machinery, which consumes a lot of energy due to the high cost of investing in new technology.
Another major challenge is that the cost of investing in new technology, sustainable infrastructure and recycled materials is often higher than that of traditional production. The cost of recycled materials is pushed higher than virgin plastic due to limited supply and support policies. Consumers' fear of products made from recycled plastic is also a significant barrier. Furthermore, awareness of eco-design is still very low, a survey by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) showed that only 16% of businesses know this term, showing that the plastics industry has not really focused on developing sustainable products from the beginning.
Why do plastic businesses need to reduce carbon emissions?
Reducing emissions is not just about compliance, it is also a strategic move that brings many practical benefits to businesses.
- In line with sustainable development trends: Consumer demand is increasingly shifting towards environmentally friendly products with clear origins. Reducing carbon emissions helps businesses demonstrate social responsibility, enhance brand reputation and attract this potential customer base.
- Minimize risk and optimize costs: A sustainable business will be more proactive in responding to risks from climate change. At the same time, optimizing the efficiency of energy and resource use helps businesses save operating costs and increase profits in the long term.
- Improve competitiveness: Businesses that are pioneers in reducing emissions will have a distinct competitive advantage. They will not only receive incentives from government policies but also easily attract investment from ESG funds and cooperate with potential partners who share the same environmental commitment. This helps businesses expand their markets, especially in difficult markets such as Europe and the US.
- Environmental protection and public health: Reducing carbon emissions means reducing harmful emissions, contributing to protecting the living environment. This not only benefits the community but also directly protects the health of workers.
- Meet legal requirements: Compliance with environmental regulations is a key element of maintaining sustainable business operations. Proactively reducing emissions helps businesses avoid legal risks and related penalties.
Comprehensive emission reduction solutions and roadmaps
Achieving carbon emission reduction targets requires a comprehensive roadmap with close coordination from many stakeholders.
1. Solutions from consumers and the community
Community change is key to promoting green production. Each individual can contribute with simple but effective actions:
- Waste classification at source and reuse: This is the first and most important step to create a clean source of raw materials for the recycling industry. Sorting waste at home helps to minimize the confusion between recyclable plastic waste and other types of waste, saving time and costs for processing units. In addition, reusing plastic for other purposes such as making decorations, pen holders or storing household items is also a simple and effective way.
- Replace disposable plastic products: Changing consumer habits is one of the most sustainable solutions. Consumers can replace plastic bags with paper bags, reusable cloth bags or biodegradable plastic bags. Limit the use of fast food, drinks with disposable plastic cups and prioritize choosing products in paper boxes or using wooden, ceramic, stainless steel or glass utensils.
- Limit burning and littering: Burning plastic waste at home or at small collection points should be minimized to avoid generating toxic substances that pollute the air and affect health. Therefore, you need to dispose of waste in the right place as a basic action to protect the environment and facilitate collection and treatment.
2. Solutions from production and technology
- Applying circular economy and recycling: Businesses need to increase recycling and reuse of plastics to reduce the amount of new raw materials, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. Businesses can apply physical and chemical recycling methods. Although chemical recycling is more energy-intensive, it is capable of processing many types of complex and contaminated plastics, helping to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
- Improving production technology and waste gas treatment: Investment in advanced plastic recycling technologies, both physical and chemical, is urgently needed. At the same time, effective exhaust gas treatment technologies need to be applied to minimize environmental impacts. Technologies such as electrostatic precipitators, ozone technology and biofiltration have all proven effective in removing toxic compounds such as VOCs, fine dust and polluting gases.
- Eco Design: This is a key tool to promote sustainable production and consumption. Eco-design is the optimization of products right from the design stage to minimize environmental impact throughout their life cycle. A typical example is Duy Tan Plastics' successful production of PCR (recycled plastic) bottles and improved bottle caps for Nestlé, which significantly reduced packaging weight and carbon emissions. Vietnam also has regulations on eco-labels to encourage businesses to apply.
3. Policy solutions and support from the State
To promote change, the State needs to continue to play a leading and supportive role:
- Completing the legal corridor: There is a need to effectively enact and enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations to force businesses to take responsibility for collecting and recycling their products.
- Incentive policies and financial support: The State needs to issue more preferential policies on taxes and fees, diversify forms of capital mobilization to support businesses investing in green technology and renewable energy. In particular, there needs to be specific support policies for small and medium-sized enterprises, helping them overcome cost barriers.
- Investment and technology transfer: The State needs to invest in research and development of green technologies, and at the same time attract funding sources and foreign investment capital to acquire advanced plastic waste recycling and treatment technologies.
- Green market development: Build a market for green products, giving consumers confidence in the safety and quality of recycled products.
- International cooperation and public awareness raising: Actively participate in international agreements and learn from the experiences of advanced countries. At the same time, promote propaganda activities on the harmful effects of plastic waste and guide consumers to switch to environmentally friendly products.
Conclusion
The journey of reducing emissions and greening the plastic industry is a long-term process, requiring synchronization and efforts from many sides. By systematically applying emission reduction solutions in plastic production, from improving technology, changing production and consumption habits, to strong support from policies, the Vietnamese plastic industry can completely overcome challenges, rise up and affirm its position on the global sustainable development map.