A reportfrom the Vietnam Plastics Association shows that the plastic industry has nearly4,000 businesses nationwide, of which, 90% are small- and medium-sizedenterprises, mainly in the southern region.
Totalrevenue of the plastic industry has reached over 25 billion USD and exportsaccount for 22%. The sector’s growth rate has reached double digits of 12-15%per year in the past five years.
Vietnameseplastic enterprises have been producing a full range of plastic products toserve domestic consumption and export markets.
Inparticular, Vietnamese plastic products have been exported to more than 160countries around the world and are present in many demanding markets such asthe US, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Japan.
Vietnamcan now produce all kinds of plastic materials, including PVC, PP, PET, PS andPE, with a total capacity of nearly 3 million tonnes per year.
Some ofthe key export products of the plastic industry are packaging, sheets, plates,films, products used in transport packaging, household plastic and decorativeitems.
Ho Duc Lam,Chairman of the Vietnam Plastics Association, said that the export turnover ofplastic products has grown steadily over the years from 3 billion USD in 2018to 5.5 billion USD last year, with an average growth rate of 12-20% per year.
Domesticraw materials meet 30% of domestic market demand, the remaining 70% is importedfrom countries and territories around the world.
Lam alsoshared that along with the changes in the Vietnamese economy, the Vietnameseplastic industry has made continuous progress to more effectively support thebusiness community, especially the green production transformation.
Theassociation will promote a strategy for the development of the Vietnamese plasticindustry in the 2023-2030 period, helping businesses have orientations forindustry development and methodical investment; and hold diverse domestic andforeign trade promotion programmes, creating a bridge for businesses tointegrate into the global market.
Regardinggreen production, Le Anh, Sustainability Director of DUYTAN Plastic RecyclingCompany, pointed out that the current packaging trend revolves around threephrases: moderation, reuse and multi-use.
Usingplastic and recycled products will help the circular economy be applied andexpanded, he said.
Therefore,the priority solution for packaging development of manufacturers today was touse recycled materials with environmentally friendly designs, he added.
Similarly,in the flow of free trade market integration, circular economy and greenproduction, many units operating in the plastic industry and related industrieshave identified sustainable development as guiding principle in all businessoperations.
Theseunits not only focus on investing in building recycling plants, but alsoactively participate in contributing initiatives related to the "greenproduction path".
On thebasis of strengthening investment cooperation and joint ventures, at the sametime, becoming suppliers and participating in the supply chain of a number ofglobal brands, including Coca Cola, Nestle, LaVie, Unilever and SuntoryPepsico, has helped many plastic businesses and related industries establishcircular economic models.
SomeVietnamese businesses have enhanced their brands and are official members ofthe Packaging Recycling Organisation Vietnam (PRO Vietnam) or Vietnam WasteRecycling Association (VWRA)./.