On June 12, the Vietnam Packaging Recycling Organization (PRO Vietnam) held its 7th annual conference under the theme “Building a Robust Circular Packaging System through Science and Technology.”
Attending the event were Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc and Director of the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai.
Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc expressed his strong impression of the wide range of products made from recycled materials, noting their modern designs and high durability. He highly appreciated the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by PRO Vietnam’s 34 member companies—businesses that, despite being competitors in the marketplace, have chosen to stand together in pursuit of a greener future.
He highly appreciated the alliance’s efforts in operating a collection and treatment network that processed more than 100,000 tons of waste during 2024–2025 alone.
The Chairman of the municipal People's Committee emphasized that PRO Vietnam fully deserves to be the first organization officially authorized by state authorities to undertake packaging recycling activities.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, as a metropolis of more than 14 million residents, Ho Chi Minh City considers environmental management a matter of vital importance. He reaffirmed the city’s determination not to sacrifice the environment for mere economic growth and stressed that the circular economy must become a strategic pillar of development. He called on the 34 member companies to continue playing a leading role in bringing circular systems into everyday life and making even greater contributions toward achieving the Net Zero target.
The city is committed to standing alongside businesses, listening to their concerns, and creating the most favorable conditions to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises pioneering green development. The city’s Chairman affirmed that the city is ready to directly address procedural bottlenecks and provide maximum support to businesses within the framework of the law, with the shared goal of achieving sustainable development.
Established on June 21, 2019, PRO Vietnam is a voluntary non-profit organization that brings together leading companies in the consumer goods, packaging, retail, and recycling sectors. Guided by its vision of a greener, cleaner, and more beautiful Vietnam, the alliance has played a pioneering role in promoting the circular economy model and helping its members effectively and transparently fulfill their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations.
Over its seven-year journey (2019–2026), the alliance has expanded to 34 members, including its first financial institution member, Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB). As of May 2026, PRO Vietnam had collected and recycled more than 30,000 tons of packaging waste, out of its annual target of 60,000 tons.
At the conference, Chairman of PRO Vietnam, Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, affirmed that the circular economy has become a key component of the new growth model. He emphasized that the alliance’s success should not be measured solely by the volume of packaging recycled but also by the reliability of the entire system, reflected in transparent traceability data, controlled costs, and the scalability of its model.
For the 2026–2030 period, PRO Vietnam pledged to continue working closely with the Government to strengthen the circular packaging system, contributing to the country’s green growth strategy and Net Zero commitments.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai proposed several strategic cooperation initiatives with PRO Vietnam to further advance the circular economy. These include developing a “problem bank” on circular packaging to better connect academic research with real-world business needs, as well as fostering green technology enterprises based on the outcomes of joint research projects.
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