Nine leading companies in the consumer goods and packaging industries on Friday signed a partnership to establish a not-for-profit coalition to promote the growth of a domestic packaging collection and recycling ecosystem in Vietnam.

The Packaging Recycling Organization Vietnam (PRO Vietnam) seeks to help create to a clean, green and beautiful country by driving the circular economy and making recycling of packaging more accessible and sustainable.

The nine founding members are Coca-Cola, FrieslandCampina, La Vie, Nestlé, NutiFood, Suntory PepsiCo, Tetra Pak, TH Group, and URC. The coalition marks the first time competing businesses are collaborating to collectively work on improving the environment.

The organization will work to educate consumers on recycling awareness and segregation and work with the Vietnamese government in recycle - one aspect of the “3Rs” (reduce, reuse and recycle).

The coalition will also exert effort to strengthen the existing packaging collection eco-system and support recycling programs of processors and recyclers.

Pro Vietnam also aims to improve livelihoods and create jobs for individuals and businesses working on post-consumer packaging through its voluntary public-private partnership, as well as coordinating with research institutions to find the most suitable solutions for the environment.

PRO Vietnam chairman Pham Phu Ngoc Trai underlined that the founding members of PRO Vietnam are united in their mission.

“PRO Vietnam’s ambition is that by 2030 all packaging materials put into the market by its members is collected for recycling,” he said.

As much as 13 million metric tons of plastic trash is discharged into the world’s oceans every year, with Vietnam being one of the top five countries contributing to the problem, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Vietnam has set eyes on completely phasing out single-use plastics nationwide by the year 2025.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday commended the establishment of Pro Vietnam, expressing his hope that the newly-established organization will work together with the government and people to minimize plastic pollution and cut down the use of single-use plastic.

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