Unilever Vietnam is perhaps the most widely recognized brand among domestic consumers. On average, every three days, the number of units of products sold by the company equals the total population of Vietnam, ranging from food products for cooking and consumption to hygiene and personal care products, as well as laundry detergents. This also means that the amount of packaging used by Unilever Vietnam annually is very large, reaching tens of thousands of tons just for plastic packaging, and it has a significant impact on the environment if the company does not implement effective solutions and strong commitments.
Unilever Vietnam is deeply aware of this and has demonstrated a high level of responsibility as a major player in environmental protection and public health.
Enhancing plastic waste management programs
In April, Unilever Vietnam, in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the British Business Association (BritCham), and the Vietnam Science and Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF), launched the “Plastics Circularity Innovation Challenge 2024” program.
The recycling industry in Vietnam has abundant raw materials but is underdeveloped, with a plastic recycling rate of only 33%. Therefore, solutions to enhance plastic waste recycling capabilities, especially for plastic packaging, play a crucial role in reducing environmental impacts, promoting a circular economy, and achieving sustainable development in Vietnam.
Given this situation, the program was launched to seek and promote innovative solutions in the plastic circular value chain, particularly new and creative solutions to enhance the collection, processing, and recycling of plastic packaging.
Sharing about the program, Mr. Tran Quy Kien, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, stated that Vietnam is facing many risks from plastic waste and rapidly increasing amounts of plastic waste and packaging alongside economic development and consumer habits. The initiative to organize the “Plastics Circularity Innovation Challenge 2024” program is a practical and meaningful action to seek, recognize, and invest in innovative solutions for sorting, collecting, and recycling plastic packaging waste, particularly soft and low-value plastics in Vietnam.
Before participating in this program, Unilever Vietnam had implemented the “Plastic Circular Economy” project and won the Sustainable Project Award at the Human Act Prize 2023. This project has been continuously carried out by Unilever Vietnam for the past three years. In 2020, the “Trash for Gifts” model became a community plastic waste collection scheme, raising awareness and changing habits about source segregation for more than 41,400 households and 32 schools with over 15,000 students.
Unilever Vietnam has also collaborated with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, SCG, and Dow to sign the “Public-Private Partnership to Build a Circular Economy in Plastic Waste Management (PPC)” initiative. To date, PPC has 28 members, including private companies, recyclers, collectors, organizations, associations, and local governments. Through collaboration, Unilever has collected and recycled 25,000 tons of plastic waste, using these recycled plastic pellets to produce new packaging and plastic bottles for the company’s products.
Specifically, Unilever has worked with sorting and processing units to recycle soft plastic packaging. The project has paved the way by investing in technology and processes to recycle plastic, contributing to environmental protection and resource utilization.
Recognizing that the plastic circular economy model requires community involvement, Unilever Vietnam has conducted a communication program on source segregation for nearly 12 million people. To date, 63% of Unilever Vietnam’s packaging is recyclable. Unilever has also reduced the use of virgin plastic in packaging production by 52%.
The “Plastic Circular Economy” project continues with the goal of making 100% of product packaging recyclable by 2025 and collecting and processing more plastic waste than the amount of product packaging the company sells. From 2022 to 2027, Unilever will collaborate with partners to aim for collecting and recycling 30,000 tons of plastic waste.
In addition to addressing plastic waste, Unilever Vietnam via its OMO brand in Vietnam is also focusing on tree planting and reforestation activities, under the “Action for a Green Vietnam” initiative, aiming to plant one million trees during the 2021-2025 period. In September 2023, Unilever Vietnam, in cooperation with the Center for Resource and Environment Communication and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, donated 250,000 trees to the People’s Committee of Nghia Lo Town, Yen Bai Province, adding to the 690,000 trees and 60,000 seeds that the company has supported and planted in 19 provinces and nine national parks across the country.
The company has also introduced an innovation by converting waste into Biomass pellets for use in boilers, completely replacing fossil fuels and diesel.
Unilever Vietnam’s value chain has also shifted to using 100% electric forklifts at distribution centers, contributing to a reduction of nearly 2,000 tons of CO2 emissions by the end of 2021 compared to 2020.
To date, according to Unilever Vietnam’s report, the company has used 100% renewable energy for its production and business activities.
Protecting public health
In May, Unilever Vietnam continued its collaboration with the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City for the 2024-2029 period. The cooperation program focuses on promoting and developing training activities, workshops, conferences, and seminars to enhance public health; aiming to strengthen communication and education on hygiene issues, disease prevention, and other health-related matters.
In October of the previous year, Unilever Vietnam, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Nam Dinh Province People’s Committee, organized a rally in support of “Global Handwashing Day.”
Commenting on this activity, Ms. Le Thi Hong Nhi, Director of Communications and External Relations at Unilever Vietnam, said: “Participating in Global Handwashing Day is a typical activity that Unilever and its Lifebuoy brand have consistently partnered with the Ministry of Health since 2008. Over the past 27 years, Unilever has had the opportunity to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, various ministries, and local authorities to promote programs that raise awareness and improve hygiene and health conditions for millions of people through building the habit of washing hands properly with soap or hand sanitizer.”
In 2023, in response to Global Handwashing Day, Unilever implemented a program to support 22 children’s hospitals nationwide with 660 cartons of disinfectant solution and 880 educational kits about proper handwashing with soap.
Building on the success of 15 years of collaboration, Unilever and the Department of Medical Environment Management (Ministry of Health) have signed a strategic cooperation program “For a Healthy and Sustainable Vietnam” 2023-2028. The cooperation is expected to continue enhancing awareness and hygiene conditions, and public health, and build a sustainable healthcare environment in Vietnam, aiming to improve hygiene and health conditions for 15 million people nationwide.
Furthermore, the cooperation provides an opportunity for Unilever and the Ministry of Health to jointly promote innovative initiatives, models, and activities; establish models for hospitals, health stations, and civilized, clean residential areas to proactively manage disease risk factors, healthcare, and reduce the burden of illness, mortality, and enhance the quality of life for people.
At the same time, Unilever will support the Ministry of Health in organizing knowledge-sharing workshops and capacity-building training, forums, and conferences for connection and dialogue between parties. This contributes to the development of a sustainable healthcare environment from central to local levels.
