Before the serious environmental pollution, Vietnamese businesswomen signed the “Commitment to act for a world without waste”, demonstrating their resolution to work together to protect the environment.
This is a practical activity of women entrepreneurs on the occasion of the Forum on “Initiatives on Taking Action toward a World without Waste” organized in Hanoi by the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in collaboration with the Vietnam Business Women Association and Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam Ltd.
Mr. Hoang Quang Phong, Vice President of VCCI said, according to the Law on Environmental Protection of Vietnam, “Sustainable development is the development designed to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the need of future generations based on a close and harmonious combination of economic growth, social progress and environmental protection.”
According to a recent report by Ocean Conservancy environmental advocacy group and McKinsey management consulting firm, an estimated eight million metric tons of plastic waste leaks into the ocean every year. More than half of the plastic leaking into the ocean comes from just five Asian countries, led by China with 2.4 million tons, accounting for about 30% of the total. Vietnam is currently one of five countries dumping most plastic waste into the ocean. This is a concern of the whole society and a responsibility of the business community in general and businesswomen in particular.
“Companies should not run after immediate interests while ignoring their responsibility to the environment and the community. Environmental protection has an act of lofty significance for future generations,” he affirmed.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Chair of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council and Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Association, said, in developed countries, all business sectors must adhere to environmental protection principles. In recent years, such concepts as circular economy, responsible production and business and humanitarian production and business have been included in many business and entrepreneur agendas. But, the amount of solid waste, gas emissions and liquid waste discharged into the environment is still our searing pain.
The introduction of action initiatives to reduce waste, reuse and recycle waste in the business cycle is very important. “Good waste management not only creates a healthy living and working environment but also economizes resources, reduces costs and inspire people's endless creativity in designing new useful products from waste towards sustainable development of enterprises and communities,” she added.
According to Mr. Phong, as a pioneer in carrying out social responsibility, particularly environmental protection with the goal of “A world without waste”, Coca-Cola led the beverage industry with a statement on a bold and ambitious goal: Coca-Cola will collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells globally by 2030 through a renewed focus on the entire packaging lifecycle - from how bottles and cans are designed and made to how they are recycled and repurposed. The initiatives that Coca-Cola has been carrying out in Vietnam to realize this global goal include the Zero Waste to Nature Initiative, the Initiative on Awareness Raising on Plastic Waste Recycling, the Action Network for Plastic Waste and Educational Program at local EkoCenter Vietnam.
Ms. Le Tu Cam Ly, Director of Legal and External Affairs, Coca-Cola Indochina, said that Coca-Cola works to achieve this goal by improving the package from inside, reducing plastic materials, using recycled plastic, combining with government, private sector and civil society to build plastic waste collection systems, work together to promote the circular economy, and bring new values to plastic packaging. Coca-Cola therefore always seeks and encourages cooperation in its value chain, especially through programs that women are the key to finding useful initiatives in plastic waste management.
In recent years, the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council has worked closely with Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam Ltd to implement many programs to support the community, exercise corporate social responsibility, promote women's participation in the economic sector through training and entrepreneurship counseling for women, support equipment for training and improve public health through establishment and operation of local EkoCenters. These activities have helped improve the position and image of the company and given a strong boost for responsible production and business.
Quynh Chi
Vietnamese
10/12/2024
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
