PUT AN END

TO EXCESSIVE
SINGLE - USE
PLASTIC
PACKAGING

THE WHITE PAPER

 Table of Contents

Abstract 3

An introduction to plastic packaging 4

The derivation and usage of plastic packaging 5

When it become worse 7

Vietnam - A great plastic packaging consumer 9

It is time to take action 13

Conclusion 16

References 17

Image References 19

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 2

 Abstract
Plastic has been with us for nearly 150 years and has become an
indispensable part of our daily lives. Due to the undeniable benefits of plastic
such as low price, flexible and easy to make, plastic production has been
blooming over the past century. It is already very challenging to cope with
the enormous amount of plastic waste generated by human, except that
there are some significant changes to our manufacture, usage and manage
plastic production system. Conclusively, dealing with one of the most severe
environmental affliction will require the act of businesses as well as the
public and other forces.

This white paper not only shows the necessary knowledge and current
situation of plastic packaging but also takes the example of the Vietnam case
and the suggested solutions for this issue. It looks at how Coop Mart as the
organization can tackle the problem that single-use plastic packaging brings
about. With appropriate actions, single-use plastic packaging is expected to
be reduced and managed effectively.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 3


An
introduction
to plastic
packaging
Plastic is a flexible, waterproof, flexible
and quite inexpensive material. These
traits are what attracts people to use
plastic products in excessively way.
Dissimilar to metals, plastics do not rust,
but instead they photodegrade, which
means that they break down into
microplastics. The formation of
microplastics often happened on
beaches due to high UV irradiation and
abrasion caused by waves. However, its
degradation progress is slower in the
ocean because of the cold temperature
and decreased UV display.
Although it is a durable and slow
biodegrade material, plastic is still
being consumed in the production of
everything, eventually, become plastic
waste that could last for hundreds of
WHITE PAPER / PAGE 4
years. Our massive interest in plastic as
well as the certain behavior of
increasingly over-consumption, disposal,
littering and thus causing pollution, has
become a combination of destructive
environment[1].
Plastic packaging is to use all kinds of
plastic to pack products or food in order
to keep the product quality intact.
However, what the main factor that leads
to environmental pollution is single-use
plastic. Single-use plastics are
considered as disposable materials and is
popularly used for plastic packaging and
other items designated to be consumed
once before it is dumped to the landfill or
recycled. These including food
packaging, water bottles, straws,
shopping bags, containers,...[2]
 The derivation and usage
of plastic packaging

Nowadays, it is too common that we see a product of plastic in our daily life. The
use of plastic in various products includes rubbish bags, water bottles, drinking
cups, food wrapping and containers, storage boxes, and liquid containers,
including dishwashing, laundry detergent and cleaning products [3].

Nowadays, it is understandable that the volume of waste increases, as the uses of

resources in packing and consuming increase. Many years researchers have
revealed that solid waste contains different components, while packaging waste
accounts for the most. Statistics show that one-third of the 10 million ton of solid
waste comes from packaging waste.

Specifically, the determinants of packaging waste are papers, plastics, metal, glass
and so on. Dealing with this waste requires multiple approaches. This involves
human resources, financial resources, and material resources. Moreover, these
waste cause severe consequences to the environment and cause serious worries to
human life and survival [4].

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 5

 The definition of this term involves the type of packaging which lays out a
capacity that is not promptly evident to the customer. It is considered to be
involved and difficult to raise public awareness about the packaging
importance in the distribution chain. Moreover, the process of communication is
considered to be time-wasting, especially when the clients are happy with the
items they buy. [5]

The unboxing videos are when an individual purchases an item and records
his or herself unpackaging it from its package before uploading it to YouTube,
where other individuals spend their time watching and commenting on the
video. This trend has unintentionally created more and more plastic packages
which are then thrown into the trash. Moreover, this trend is getting more and
more popular throughout the world, especially among the young streamers
and YouTubers. This has raised a concern about the increasing amount of
wastes [6].

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 6

 When it becomes worse

There are some research and statistic about the quantity of plastic debris on the
ocean. However, the plastic ocean waste that is generated from the land is not
recorded. The estimation is only be taken by combining the solid waste statistic,
the economic condition and the density of population. The result suggested that,
in 2010, 192 coastal countries generated 275 million metric tons of plastic waste,
including 4.8 to 12.7 million MT entering the ocean. The amount of plastic waste
dumped into the sea is affected by its population size and the quality of the waste
management system. It is warned that, if there are no improvements in the waste
management system, the quantity of uncaptured waste entering the sea from land
will rise following the order of magnitude by 2025. [7]

With the increasing amount of plastic waste, the experts are raising their concern
about the impacts of microplastics- the fragments of plastics- into the environment.
As we all know, the importance of plastics in terms of a vector of transporting
chemicals and the species in the ocean is undeniable.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 7

 However, the ecosystems and people’s health are under threats because of plastic
wastes [8]. Marine debris from many different sources including glass, plastic, metal,
and timber are floating on the ocean. Therefore, the ocean has been recently
becoming global storage for much of the human’s waste. One of the emerging
environmental problems has been possibly caused by the accrual and influence of
microplastic particles. Many concerns increase due to the possible impacts of
persistent bio-accumulating and toxic compounds (PBT) which are released from
plastic wreckages.

Additionally, in many countries all over the world, using economic net plastic nets,
fouling propellers and other equipment is bringing harm to the fishing and tourism
industries. Although many efforts have been made all around the world to stem the
flow of plastic debris, the impact on the marine environment is still recorded to be
harmful. [8]

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 8

 Vietnam- A
great plastic
packaging
consumer
According to the statistic in the 1960s of
unaware of plastics, Vietnam’s plastic
industry has made significant progress.
Since 2000, the average plastics’
utilization per capita in Vietnam has
been rising rapidly from 21kg in 2005 to
40kg after seven years and continued
growing to 55kg in 2016. Specifically,
the biggest segment in the plastic
manufacturing is packaging which
accounts for over 40% of total goods’
production and has roughly US$ 4.7
billion of total volume in 2016 [9] [10].
Vietnam is reported to be one of the top
five countries that in charge of more
than half quantity of plastic waste
discharged to the ocean [11].
WHITE PAPER / PAGE 9
This is the consequence of massive
consumption of plastics but lack of
effective recycling management
systems and a long coastline [12].
Plastic has become an indispensable
factor of packaging and delivery habits
of Vietnam since anything can be
carried away in plastic bags [13]. An
example of plastic packaging usage in
Vietnam is that the Vietnamese put raw
food like meat or fish to preserve the
freshness and avoid getting
contaminated or to package take-away
drinks and food such as coffee or
pastries which are carefully wrapped
in multiple coating of plastic bags [13].
Therefore, over 18000 tons of plastic
waste are created daily by Vietnam
[13], causing the nationwide issue of
“white pollution”. [24]
 The tremendous usage of plastic packaging products has caused a serious
catastrophe to our living environment. 50 to 80% of the ocean waste belongs to
plastic waste [14], threatening the life and living condition of many water
species. One of the most serious consequence is an “island” made by
indecomposable trash, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, whose width is 700000
square kilometers [15]. There are a lot of areas in Vietnam being polluted by
trash, creating water pollution, soil pollution and other diseases that are
dangerous for human and their living environment.

Furthermore, microplastics, also known as mini plastic fragments, have

uncovered in the food sources and water for human [16] [17]. AFP (2018) stated
that since plastic waste has influenced our lives in a certain way, other
investigations need to be operated to evaluate the dangerousness of
microplastics to human’s life. It is undeniable that plastic packaging plays a vital
role in Vietnamese’s daily purchasing habit. Different types of house
merchandise are using plastic bags to package take-away products, including
shopping malls, supermarkets or local markets.

As reported by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and

Environment, the average number of plastic bags used daily of domestics in
Vietnam is 4. However, they only reuse roughly ¼ of those. Additionally, some
nearly 9 million plastic bags are used at supermarkets every day [18].
Furthermore, straws, plastic cups, etc.,... are also commonly seen at the coffee,
bakeries and beverage stores. It is very challenging for Vietnam to replace plastic
material for packaging since it would take lots of supply sources and time.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 10

 There are many reasons for the popularity of plastic packaging products in
Vietnam. Firstly, this material is flexible and can be created in various sizes and
forms, thus making it convenient for customers to take their products away with
plastic-made containers. Secondly, plastic bags have water resistance
characteristic which is favorable in Vietnam due to the tropical climate feature. It
is believed that products wrapped in plastic can avoid being damped or spilled
out of the container. Lastly, the price of plastic products is much lower in
comparison with other materials, making them the priority choice for customers
and shop owners to economize.

One Vietnamese can produce an average of 1.2 kg of waste per day, and plastic
waste accounts for 16 percent of that number [19]. The combination of plastic
waste in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is up to 80 tons [19]. Nevertheless,
many Vietnamese do not aware of these statistics and the consequences that
excessive plastic products usage can cause. The deficiency of knowledge about
the harmfulness of plastics has supported plastics to be an indispensable part of
Vietnamese people’s lives. Moreover, the convenience of plastics lures people
away, making them forget about the plastic pollution issue. It is hard for them to
give up their benefit when facing a big problem.

According to Asia News Monitor 2018, Vietnam has committed to reducing

plastic waste nation-wide for a long term period to tackle the issue [20]. The
government has begun to build partnerships in plastic waste management in
Southeast Asia and the global mechanism in encouraging preventive actions to
clear the ocean waste. The Minister of natural resources and environment, Tran
Hoang Ha, said that he aware of the alarming issue caused by releasing plastic
waste into the ocean. This has led to water pollution and threatened marine
ecology as well as food sources.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 11

 Director general of Vietnam's
administration of Seas and Islands (VASI),
Tran Dinh Thi, also added that Vietnam is
among six countries that have not built
waste debris management in Southeast
Asia.

Director of the Centre for Environment and

Community Research (CECR), Nguyen
Ngoc Ly reported that Vietnam discharges
up to 19,000 tons of rubbish, including
16% of plastic waste every day. She said
that the reason that led to this issue is that
the citizen has not been aware of the
situation or educated about home waste
recycling. However, some cities in Vietnam
has actively carried out their recycling
programmes.

In 2005, the Cham island in Hoi An city,

one of the world habitat reserve
destination certified by UNESCO, was the
first area in Vietnam to prohibit plastic
bags usage among locals and tourists.
The island authority bans travelers to
bring plastic bags from the shore and run
a zero-waste campaign. There was also a
campaign called “Saying No” started in
Ly Son island in Quang Ngai Province to
stop single-use straws and plastics cups.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 12

 It is time to Take Action
Due to the recent shortage of resources,
the natural resources available for
human use has become inadequate. In
terms of packaging, most products are
single-use and become waste after
short-term usage leading to a short life
cycle of these products. Therefore, a
large number of resources are
consumed. Green Logistics and Green
Packaging have been developed as
possible solutions [4].

Green Logistics is a logistics activity aimed to reduce pollution of the environment

and consumption of resources by using advanced technology and
implementation of different techniques from transport, storage to distribution. It is
an effective and efficient method that can meet the main green demand to
overcome the obstacles between space and time and green services. The system
includes the following six aspects: green transportation, green storage, and
safekeeping, loading and unloading system of green, green packaging, green
distribution processing, collection and management of green information [5].

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 13

 Green Packaging is defined as an
environmentally friendly package, which
is entirely made by natural plants, can be
recycled or second use aimed to
promote sustainable development. In
short, green packaging can be reused,
recycled or degraded and does not
cause pollution during the product life
cycle [6].

Besides the benefits can be brought to the

environment, these solutions are also appropriate for
the vision and culture values of Coop Mart itself. Coop
Mart affirmed to be the leading supermarket brand in
Vietnam focusing on development in the region to
bring the best benefits to customers and the
community. Moreover, their main values are the
dedication to serving and continuous improvement to
bring the most practical benefits to customers.

Towards the community, they aim at sustainable development associated with the
interests of the community. As mentioned above, Green Logistics and Green
Packaging are both designed to promote sustainable development and bring many
environmental benefits. Looking into a larger scale like firm level, the development of
green logistics is the trend for enterprises. Therefore, logistics managers should assess
the situation and find the resolutions to reduce the gap of the green logistics operation
and make further green recycling of logistics processes. The strategy of sustainable
development must include three elements, performance, economy, and environment
(including resources, energy, environmental protection).

The company needs appropriate packaging materials acquisition so that the grade of
material can be minimized. By using common and simplified packaging to reach
appropriate packaging, and reducing waste from source, they can meet both economy
and environment requirements as they will use a smaller budget and lessen the effect
on the environment. The last element - high performance, needs the development of
new materials and equipment. It is also considered to be an essential direction. On the
basis of guarantee the implementation of the three big requirements, it is advisable that
Coop Mart should mend excessive packaging and develop proper one, as well as try to
cut down wrapping and other costs.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 14

 In addition to environmentally friendly solutions, choosing the right material is
an effective one to be considered as it is an integral part of the product-
packaging system. Paper and board products, polymers, glass, aluminum, and
steel are the most commonly used packaging materials, although the use of
renewable materials has been increased.

As each packaging material has its unique characteristics and life cycle that can
have particular environmental impacts, it is significant to understand and
regularly review these complex processes to improve or reform the packaging
design strategy. The selection of materials could be affected by many factors
such as the organization’s care for packaging sustainability and the importance
of specific factors such as brand positioning, facility requirements, solid waste,
resource efficiency, and climate change. It is also essential to set an appraisal of
the cycle of materials inside the product and on packaging design [21].

Although it seems to be an ideal solution to use Green Logistics and Green

Packaging when it comes to coping with environmental problems, Coop Mart
needs to have an impact on customers’ mindset and behaviors so that they can
cut down the amount of plastic waste and use green materials instead. As a
business, Coop Mart can inform customers of the negative consequences of
plastic waste via promoting strategies such as advertising and packaging
promotion. The promotion can come from small things like offering iron straws
instead of plastic straws or replacing plastic bags with bags made from friendly
components. Small but efficient actions can eventually build a positive and
influenced image for the brand.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 15

 Conclusion

According to Grodon (2015) and Chow (2015), Vietnam is one of the five nations that
have the most plastic waste being disposed into the sea, with roughly 8 million tons
[22] [23]. As a result, Vietnam’s effort to reduce the amount of waste into the sea will
contribute significantly to the improvements in the world in terms of reducing wastes
and fighting against plastic pollution. After analyzing the plastic waste situation, it is
evident how severe the consequences could be when it comes to environmental
problems.As a business, Coop Mart can make an effort to change this situation to
some extent. There are two possible resolutions to reduce plastic waste and at the
same time, promote the brand reputation. The first solution is replacing plastic
packaging with Green Logistics supply chain and Green Packaging. Moreover, the
second is choosing the appropriate and renewable resources for the supply chain to
recycle and reduce producing waste. However, parallel with these production
solutions, Coop Mart should consider to combine them with other promotion
strategies to maximize the impact towards the customers such as advertising.

WHITE PAPER / PAGE 16

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WHITE PAPER / PAGE 17

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WHITE PAPER / PAGE 18

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WHITE PAPER / PAGE 19