As the disastrous effects of climate change are increasingly felt across the world, building out a circular economy is becoming a burning need, Photo: Le Toan Last week, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build the first road in Vietnam using recycled plastics at the DEEP C industrial complex in the northern port city of Haiphong was signed between US-backed Dow Group and DEEP C – a joint venture between Belgium’s Rent-A-Port and the Haiphong People’s Committee. The project aims to divert post-use flexible packaging from becoming litter or entering a landfill, while also creating more durable, longer-lasting roads. The initial one-kilometre road, set for completion in September, will divert nearly four metric tonnes of flexible packaging, the equivalent of roughly one million pieces of flexible wrappers which will be supplied by Dow customers in the surrounding areas. Upon completion, the road will be tested by Vietnam Maritime University prior to expansion … [Read more...] about Extracting the most in circular economy value
Plastic waste generation in india
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 15/2
Vietnam’s economy set to thrive with new dynamics Vietnam reaped notable achievements in 2018, with economic growth hitting a record high of 7.08%, putting Vietnam on the list of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. New economic dynamics are expected to drive Vietnam forward in 2019 and help it achieve its 5-year plan targets by 2020. Vietnam risks lagging behind in the next decade if it can’t maintain its annual growth of more than 7%. In the government’s recent meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam is determined to create more breakthroughs across all fields this year in order to fulfill the 5 year-plan and 10-year strategy. One of the government’s biggest challenges will be helping economic hubs like Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang revive their growth. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Khuong of Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy told VOV "It’s important for Vietnam to create a firmer foundation of international … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 15/2
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 18/1
Vietnam attends South Asia’s Leading Travel Show in India Visitors at Vietnamese booths Five Vietnamese travel companies are currently participating in the 26th edition of SATTE, South Asia’s leading travel show, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state from January 16-18. They include Victoria Tour, Indochina Charm Tour, Go Indochina Tours, Hello Vietnam, and Asiana Travel. The fair has the participation of over 1,000 enterprises from 50 countries and territories. First launched in 2014, SATTE is one of the largest tourism and travel fairs in South Asia, run annually by India’s leading exhibition organiser UBM, the Ministry of Culture, and travel associations. The event provides a platform for countries to promote their lands, people, and traditional cultures, as well as attract foreign investment in tourism. It is also an occasion for policymakers and managers in tourism, along with experts and businesses, to share experience in the field and seek business … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 18/1
Still work to do in gender equality
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Gender equality worldwide has generally improved as women find more opportunities to participate in society. Women are asserting their role in science and technology development, and the percentage of women involved in engineering has increased over recent years. However, there is still work to do to reach true equality. Most countries have not achieved gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, heard participants in a workshop on gender equality in science and technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution yesterday. The workshop was part of the eighth meeting of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists-Asia and Pacific Nations Network (INWES-APNN). It was held in Hà Nội with the theme “Woman Scientists for Sustainable Development in the Digital Age.” Women account for less than 30 per cent of the world’s total science researchers. This number does not match … [Read more...] about Still work to do in gender equality
Trash piles up in US as China closes door to recycling
It has to pay to get rid of huge amounts of paper and plastic it would normally sell to China. Beijing is no longer buying, claiming the recycled materials are "contaminated." For sure, the 900 tons of trash dumped at all hours of the day and night, five days a week, on the conveyor belts at the plant in Elkridge, Maryland - an hour's drive from the U.S. capital - are not clean. Amid the nerve-shattering din and clouds of brown dust, dozens of workers in gloves and masks - most of them women - nimbly pluck a diverse array of objects from the piles that could count as "contaminants." That could be anything from clothes to cables to tree branches to the bane of all recyclers: plastic bags, which are not supposed to go in recycling bins because they snarl up the machinery. "We've had to slow our machinery, and hire more people" to clean up the waste, says Michael Taylor, the head of recycling operations for Waste Management, the company that runs the plant. At the end of the sorting line … [Read more...] about Trash piles up in US as China closes door to recycling