Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade and AEON Vietnam Co., Ltd will work together to reduce single-use plastics in supermarkets and AEON Mall Ha Dong under a project launched on December 19.

The project on reducing sing-use plastics in supermarkets and AEON Mall Ha Dong
is launched on December 19. (Photo: VNA)

Speaking highly of AEON’s efforts to cut plastic waste, Vice Director of the department Tran Thi Phuong Lan expressed her hope that AEON will outline more long-term and sustainable plans to reduce plastic waste in its production and distribution sectors in order to protect the environment.

Currently, Hanoi has 24 shopping malls, 142 supermarkets, and nearly 1,700 convenience stores, which use a huge amount of plastic every year. Data from the department showed that about 6,000 tonnes of waste is discharged in the city every day, of which 8 – 10 percent is plastic waste mainly generated from industrial production and consumer distribution.

The capital has targeted a ban on non-degradable plastic bags and to sort waste at source at all supermarkets by December 31, 2019, Lan said, adding that her department had issued Plan No. 3692/KH-SCT on reducing plastic waste in production and distribution, which had received positive feedback from the business community.

Deputy general director of the back-office at AEON Vietnam Sasamori Hiroaki said that AEON Vietnam will make unceasing efforts to ditch 30 percent of plastic bags from its outlets by the end of 2020.

The company also plans to charge for plastic bags from 2020.

AEON Vietnam wants to work with local authorities to improve public health and the environment by cutting out single use plastic products, he said.

The project with Hanoi is part of an initiative launched at AEON – Tan Phu Celadon in September.