The Study, commissioned by Eunomia Research & Consulting (Eunomia), provides an assessment of a possible design for, and the costs and impacts of, a well-designed nationwide Deposit Return System ("DRS") for single-use beverage containers for Vietnam. The Study is intended to provide the MAE with an evidence base to inform future research and policy development around such a system.
Alongside Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a DRS in Vietnam offers a potentially significant and effective measure implementing the Government’s drive towards a circular economy, as is outlined in the country’s 2020 Law on Environmental Protection. Specifically, a DRS can achieve very high recycling rates and therefore reduce the reliance on raw materials for new products and reduce adverse impacts on the environment as envisioned in this Law. An effective DRS, which adopts global best practices and lessons learned and is tailored to Vietnam’s local context, could bring significant environmental, economic and social benefits to Vietnam, not to mention provide job and business opportunities in the green economy.
While DRS has been proven an effective tool for achieving very high return rates of beverage containers for recycling in over 40 jurisdictions worldwide, no other Southeast Asian country has yet implemented a nationwide DRS for single-use beverage containers. Therefore, the system's success in Vietnam could serve as an inspiring model for neighbouring nations.
The launch was held on 16 June 2025 as part of the Plastic Talk 2025 series organized by the Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) Vietnam in response to World Environment Day 2025.
It was attended by Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Ms. Hilde Solbakken; Deputy Director General of the Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MARD) Mr. Nguyen Hung Thinh; Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam Mr. Patrick Haverman; Director of Innovation Norway Vietnam Ms Karin Greve-Isdahl; and other participants, both direct and online, representing ministries, sectors, embassies, businesses, international organizations, development partners, associations, non-governmental organizations, and national and international experts in the NPAP network.
Media contact: Ms Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, Communications Adviser of the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, thi.kim.thanh.nguyen@mfa.no
- For the Study's Executive Summary: click here for English, and here for Vietnamese
- For the full Study: click here for in English, and here for Vietnamese.
News stories on local media about the event:
- Việt Nam could cut 77,000 tonnes of packaging waste annually with DRS
- Hệ thống đặt cọc - hoàn trả vỏ chai: Hướng đi mới trong quản lý rác thải nhựa tại Việt Nam - Nhịp sống kinh tế Việt Nam & Thế giới
- Giải pháp tái chế nhựa mới tại Việt Nam từ Na Uy | Báo Nhân Dân điện tử