On April 12, USAID’s Reducing Pollution project signed an agreement with the Saigon Coop Institute on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In 2022, Vietnam became the first country in Southeast Asia to enact an “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) law. EPR laws hold companies responsible for the cost of disposal of their products by consumers, incentivizing producers to design products with reduced environmental impacts. This agreement will prioritize environmentally friendly products and practices at the national chain’s outlets including the installation of plastic recycling machines, making it more convenient for customers to recycle.
Extending a producer’s responsibility throughout a product’s life cycle is an important way to reduce plastic pollution and partnering with a large Vietnamese grocery store raises the profile of these efforts in Vietnam.
