Globally, 75 per cent of plastic produced is becoming waste. The Plastics Innovation Hub Vietnam aims to reduce plastic waste in the country by driving collaboration and using science and innovation to develop real-world solutions.
The Plastics Innovation Hub Vietnam is an initiative of Aus4Innovation, a development assistance program sponsored by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), managed and co-funded by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), out of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, and delivered in partnership with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
Amelia Fyfield, CSIRO Southeast Asia Counsellor, said that collaboration was the key to solving the global plastic pollution challenge.
She said the Hub Vietnam will focus on early-stage initiatives, setting foundations and connecting participants with key networks. It will bring together local communities and governments, researchers, business, and investors to undertake action-based projects to reduce the impacts of plastic waste.
The launch of the hub expands the network in the region, following the launch of a Plastic Innovation Hub in Indonesia in March 2022.
Research into plastic in Vietnam has already been undertaken as part of CSIRO’s largest global plastic pollution survey. The goal of this work has been to identify how much and what types of rubbish end up in the environment. Additional work between Australia and Vietnam is also planned for the coming months, as Vietnam looks to develop a national data repository and expand on-the-ground surveys.
Kim Wimbush, Program Director for Aus4Innovation, said solutions based on science, technology and innovation would support the Vietnamese government’s goals to tackle plastic waste and build a circular economy.
“Reducing plastic waste brings economic and environmental advantages,” Wimbush said. “Expanding our collaborations across the region will identify new approaches in reducing plastic waste and support Vietnam’s pledge to reduce the flow of plastics into the ocean by 75 per cent by 2030.”
The Plastic Innovation Hub Vietnam is being launched today. It is part of CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission, which aims to change the way we make, use, recycle and dispose of plastics.
For more information, visit: www.csiro.au
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