According to the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, a Plastics Innovation Hub was launched on June 23, to reduce waste in Vietnam through key stakeholder collaborations in science and innovation practices.
The Plastics Innovation Hub Vietnam is an initiative of the Aus4Innovation Program, sponsored by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, managed and co-funded by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and carried out in strategic collaboration with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
According to the CSIRO Southeast Asia Counsellor, the Plastics Innovation Hub Vietnam sets itself by focusing on early-state initiatives and bringing together local communities, governments, businesses, and investors to do action-based projects to lower the effects of plastic waste. The Vietnam Hub is an expansion of the network in the Indo-Pacific region, preceded by a similar Plastic Innovation Hub launch in Indonesia in March 2022. More collaborative work between Vietnam and Australia is planned for the upcoming months, helping Vietnam to develop a national data repository and expand on-the-ground surveys.
Besides the environmental initiative of Australian organizations, Vietnam is also collaborating with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to lessen the impact of climate change in the Mekong Delta, minimize pollution, and hasten the transition to sustainable energy in Vietnam.
The two agencies signed their first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Vietnam to pursue shared development goals. These goals include, and are not limited to, enhancing biodiversity, improving solid waste management and minimizing pollution from plastic, reducing emissions from the agricultural sector, increasing adaptation strategies for vulnerable populations in the Mekong Delta, and speeding up the development and deployment of renewable energy at the central and urban levels.
Additionally, there are now 11 environment and energy projects carried out in Vietnam by USAID, with a combined value of over USD 160 million. Meanwhile, KOICA gives special attention to waste-to-energy, marine plastic pollution, pollution monitoring, and forest conservation through collaboration with academia, startups and private businesses.
(Source: VietnamPlus)
