SCG and Long Son Petrochemicals Co., Ltd (LSP), a subsidiary of SCG Chemicals, continues to reinforce its commitment to sustainable development in Vietnam by implementing the Waste Rescue project to raise the young generation's awareness about waste segregation. Previously, SCG and LSP have piloted waste segregation at source at Long Son primary schools in Ba Ria-Vung Tau to educate students in waste segregation and call for the response of families and schools so that the concept of waste segregation can be replicated in the community. Continuing the success of the previous year, this project is part of the enterprise’s efforts to tie up with the Vietnamese young generation to adopt a circular economy to solve the problem of mismanaged waste in the country.
With rapid growth and urbanization, Vietnam has faced a sharp increase in waste. Each year, Vietnam creates more than 15 million tons of waste, which is equal to 3.8 kilograms of waste per capita. About 70 percent of waste is dumped in centralized landfills, while the volume of waste to increase very quickly while the landfill is not able to expand, causing pressures on the environment - society from the overload of garbage. As a result, waste management and treatment have been a significant problem in Vietnam in the past years.
Spurred by the corporate’s pledge to sustainable development, SCG and LSP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Unilever Vietnam, Dow Viet Nam, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in last 2020 to build a Public-Private Collaboration towards a circular economy in plastic waste management in Vietnam. Within the framework of the collaboration, SCG and LSP have launched the Waste Rescue project to drive action and awareness around waste segregation for recycling, which are simple yet effective ways to tackle the increasing waste problem.
Primary Schools students have joined to rescue waste in their schools is shown in a forceful and interesting way through the animation clip.
The project was first piloted at Long Song 1 and 2 Primary Schools in Ba Ria-Vung Tau in 2020, where students are being taught proper waste segregation at a very young age. The pilot project has been successful in educating young children about environmental issues and waste segregation mindsets, as well as enlisting the help of teachers and families, with the goal of involving the entire community in the later stages.
“The signing of the MoU is a testament to our commitment to bringing positive changes to the environment as well as creating a driving force for sustainable economic development in Vietnam,” Mr. Thanapat Kaweetraiphop, Commercial Director, Long Son Petrochemicals Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SCG Chemicals said. “A circular economy model focuses on reusing, renewing, and recycling materials and products in order to extend their useful life and give them added value. Therefore, SCG and LSP aim to develop a circular economy model that can increase the recycling rate in Vietnam to help the country secure a more sustainable future.”
Among them, proper waste separation not only minimizes the amount of waste discharged into the environment but also saves resources, enhances recycling, and preserves the environment. SCG and LSP have been implementing waste segregation at school as part of the “make-use-return” principle of the Circular Economy model to save the planet.
“The accomplishments achieved over last year are the main driving force for SCG and LSP to continue our environmental protection efforts. That’s why we initiated the Waste rescue mission to call for the participation of the young generation. Together with the joint effort, we can create a better world.” he added.
To facilitate the goal, SCG and LSP have expanded the scope of the Waste Rescue project to reach the younger generation in Vietnam, who are increasingly raising their voices to protect the future of the planet. Among them, Gen Z has emerged as a population increasingly worthy of attention, especially now as its older members enter young adulthood. Facing difficult circumstances that shaped their upbringings—especially the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Z has placed its top priority on sustainability to improve the planet.
Through the Waste Rescue project, SCG and LSP have actively run online contests on several social networking sites to encourage waste segregation and recycling behavior among digitally native Gen Z. The contests, which range from the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Waste Segregation Challenge to the Photo Contest, will feature media influencers in order to attract more young people's interest.
SCG and LSP will organize an online Photo Contest titled “Less Waste – More Green” from December 27th to 8 p.m on Jan 10th. The contest encourages young people to take pictures of their small actions to turn waste into less waste and win some prizes.
Another exciting activity is DIY Waste Segregation Challenge with hot blogger Sunhuyn. Participants can use unused items such as paper, plastic containers, and metal to recycle into eco-friendly handmade decorations without spending too much money. After completing the recycled product, they can also join the Photo Contest to receive gifts from SCG.
"Every day, I try to "live green" with the simplest and easiest things at home, so when SCG and LSP launched this challenge, I immediately joined because it is very important to successfully spread the message of environmental protection to the community, especially youngsters - the future generation. I believe that significant projects should be organized and developed on a regular basis in order to gradually enhance people's awareness" - Sunhuyn shared.
With the orientation of sustainable development, SCG and LSP wish to become a pioneer in the application of the circular economy in waste management in Vietnam, starting with waste segregation at schools. Therefore, the group can join hands with Vietnamese young people to turn ‘waste’ into ‘non-waste’ to ensure a greener and cleaner environment for the next generations.
