A new research project will examine how Viet Nam’s plastic waste law was developed—offering vital insights for building fairer global policies as the world moves towards a Global Plastics Treaty.
Led by the University of Portsmouth’s Global Plastics Policy Centre, and funded by the British Academy, the study will explore how evidence, equity and inclusion shaped Viet Nam’s 2022 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy.
EPR is a rising policy tool that places the responsibility of waste management on the producers of plastic packaging.
“Extended Producer Responsibility is now being adopted by many governments in response to plastic pollution,” said Dr Antaya March, the project’s lead.
“But the truth is, we still know very little about how these policies are being shaped or whose voices are being heard in the process.”
Viet Nam’s policy mandates that producers and importers finance or manage plastic collection, recycling, and disposal.
Incentives for eco-design and preferential loans for sustainable businesses are also included, but critics note the absence of reuse targets and protections for informal waste workers.
“This is about more than just recycling rates,” Dr March added. “We want to know why was EPR chosen over other options? What kind of evidence—scientific, indigenous, or otherwise—guided those decisions? And were marginalised groups, like informal waste workers or women who are significant actors in local waste management, meaningfully included in the policymaking process?”
Around 300,000 tonnes of plastic waste enter Viet Nam’s seas each year.
With many countries likely to adopt or revise EPR policies under a future global plastics agreement, researchers say it’s critical that equity and evidence remain central to future frameworks.
“This will be the first in-depth, retrospective analysis of how a plastics EPR policy was actually developed,” said Dr March. “Our work can help ensure those policies are grounded in evidence and designed for equity.”
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