The campaign was initiated by the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Strategy, Policy, and Environment (ISPAE), and the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, in coordination with Unilever Vietnam, Pacific Environment (PE), the Vietnamese Stature Foundation (VSF), and retailers.

Photo: ISPAE

With a focus on sorting waste at source, reducing plastic bag usage, and promoting sustainable consumption, this year’s event offered a series of interactive, accessible, and inspiring activities at retail stores. These included taking green check-in photos, environmental photo exhibitions, answering questions about plastic waste, visiting reusable shopping bag booths, and participating in green shopping and refill programmes.

A discussion titled “Promoting the circular economy in the retail industry” will be organised by ISPAE in coordination with Central Retail Vietnam and accompanying partners at the end of July 2025. The session aims to share legal regulations related to reducing single-use plastic products, summarise the achievements of No Plastic Bag Day in Vietnam, and the circular economy (CE) in the retail supply chain.

“To reduce waste, we must start with sorting. To change behaviour, we need to start from the most closely associated place with consumers, which are supermarkets and retail stores. The message “Quick Sorting – Green Consumption – Waste Reduction” is not just a slogan, but a call for us to take action every day,” Nguyen Trung Thang, deputy director of ISPAE, said.

“At Unilever, we believe that sorting waste at the source is the most important first step in building an effective waste management system and promoting a circular economy. We focus on sustainable packaging design and accompany consumers on the journey of sorting, recycling, and reusing,” emphasised Le Thi Hong Nhi, deputy general director of communications, external affairs and sustainable development at Unilever Vietnam.

As one of the leading retailers in implementing green consumption, LOTTE Mart identifies this as not just a trend but a long-term strategy to encourage changes in customers’ shopping habits.

Photo: ISPAE

Committed to environmental sustainability, Central Retail Vietnam strives to efficiently sort, collect, and recycle plastic waste to reduce the burden on the environment. Additionally, the corporation consistently encourages customers to bring their own bags or use reusable eco-friendly bags, sells Lohas bags at non-profit prices, and provides free boxes for packaging goods.

Meanwhile, AEON Vietnam continues to promote No Plastic Bag Day, which takes place on the first Monday of the month at the cashless checkout counters, and is being expanded to apply across all general merchandise stores nationwide.

Retailers are also implementing the rent-a-bag scheme, allowing customers to borrow environmentally friendly bags for a fee of $0.2, which is fully refunded upon returning the bag.

AEON also maintains and expands activities such as the greenline counter for customers using personal bags, increasing the use of environmentally friendly materials at the Delica self-service food area, and using 100 per cent biodegradable bags for product packaging. In addition, AEON is implementing waste sorting at source, installing separate waste bins, and organising community clean-up activities.