Circular economy is one of the concepts many countries and organizations have brought to strengthen the sustainability goal including SCG Chemicals and Long Son Petrochemicals. According to World bank, Circular Economy (CE) is a sustainable solution to the traditional linear economic model (take-make-dispose) to a circular economy model (make-use-return). This concept focuses on promoting waste reduction and reduce resource extraction through recycling, reducing and reusing. Also, with this model, used plastics products are considered as a valuable material resources to be recycled rather than a waste to be thrown away.
In order to turn this concept into actions, in 2019, SCG Chemicals or SCGC and Long Son Petrochemicals or LSP have joined the Public Private Partnership (PPC) towards a circular economy in plastic waste management in Vietnam together with MONRE, Dow Vietnam, Unilever Vietnam. Under this program, SCGC and LSP have been working with its partner such as VESCO, Gia Linh, and MGreen to develop models of waste management model for school and residential area and have conducted a pilot program in Long Son Commune, Ba Ria – Vung Tau.
The program conducted focusing on educating and encouraging participants to segregate wastes into 3 types; green bin for organic waste, orange bin for recycle waste and yellow bin for other types of waste Organic waste is used as animal feed or compost to make fertilizer. The remaining garbage is transported to the local waste collection unit in which recyclable waste will be sent for recycle. mGreen mobile application is brought to use for collecting waste segregation data which allow participants to easily track their transaction real time. And to attract more attention, the program has set up gift redemption activities in which waste can be exchanged for gifts.
For the waste management school model, SCGC and LSP conducted a pilot program at Long Son Primary School 1 and 2 with a goal to educate young people about waste segregation towards circular economy and to create awareness of environmental protection. The program had received a good feedback with more than 700 individuals attending the program and more than 1,500 kg of waste are collected.
To continue the successful implementation of the waste segregation at source in school, SCGC and LSP expanded the program of waste segregation at source to the residential area which piloting at Hamlet 1 of Long Son commune with a goal to create a blue print and successful model of waste segregation at source in residential area for other communities to duplicate.
These 2 projects are only example of a commitment in sustainable development that SCGC and LSP have been putting our effort in order to create a better environment and a better life for locality where we operate and to be one part to support Vietnam’s circular economy goal.