Since October 2022, the collection of used beverage cartons via the VECA app has been extended to 18 districts in Ho Chi Minh City, an increase of 4 districts compared to the first phase. The four districts, namely Tan Phu, Go Vap, Binh Tan and Thu Duc, are among the largest districts of Ho Chi Minh city. Tetra Pak and VECA have established additional collection sites at 10 condominiums in the city, including: Screc Tower, Sai Gon Avenue, Phu Tho, Kien Thanh Shopping Mall, Celadon City, The Splendor, Khang Gia Condominium, Starlight Riverside, Ha Do and Topaz Garden & Center. The volume of cartons collected is expected to reach six tons after six months of network expansion.
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| The volume of cartons collected is expected to reach 6 tons after six months of expanding the collection network to 18 districts of Ho Chi Minh City |
“We are committed to a low-carbon circular economy in each and every aspect of our business. This very commitment includes the focus on cooperating with recyclers to expand the carton collection network as well as supporting food and beverage manufacturers in complying with extended producer responsibility rules. The partnership with VECA is part of our aim of collecting used cartons everywhere, at any time and building a culture of carton recycling in the community,” said Ms. Luong Thanh Thu, Sustainability Manager at Tetra Pak.
Cartons were added to the collection list of the VECA application on smartphones at the end of 2021. VECA, operating in a similar manner to ride-hailing services, connects those who wish to sell scrap and collectors in close proximity; while prices are made public and transparent. “Phase 1 of the program conducted through the VECA app has shown positive results. Up until the end of August 2022, a total of 7,300 orders for scrap were made through the app, with more than 2 tons of used cartons collected.
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| Tetra Pak cooperates with both manufacturers and retailers to enhance cartons collection and recycling |
“The VECA app was released in mid-2020 and has continuously been updated and improved. VECA has approximately 32.000 users so far. Our objective is to increase app downloads and usage by expanding the collection list and collaborating with manufacturers to make waste collecting easier and more convenient. The inclusion of cartons in the collection list has helped us to increase the number of app users significantly. We hope that the initiative to expand our carton collection network in those large districts will encourage more collectors to use the app, thus reaching the goal of a Zero-Waste Vietnam,” commented Mr. Bui The Bao, founder of VECA.
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| Besides collecting used beverage cartons via VECA, Tetra Pak also partners with PRO Vietnam and Circular Action organization to pilot carton collection in communities |
Tetra Pak is actively implementing many initiatives to support the low-carbon circular economy in Vietnam. The company works closely with recycling partners to boost the capacity and quality for recycled products. One significant project is its 1.2-million euro investment in Dong Tien Paper Factory, with an aim to enhance and amplify the plant’s capacity in recycling used cartons from 9.000 to 17.000 tons per year.
In 2022, Tetra Pak, together with Vietnam Packaging Recycling Alliance (PRO Vietnam) and Circular Action Organization, started a pilot program in Ho Chi Minh City to collect and recycle used beverage cartons in the community, the program will last from August 2022 to March 2023 with the goal of collecting and completely recycling 3,000 tons of beverage cartons, turning them into useful products such as paperboard materials and bio-roof panels. The company has also worked closely with its partners, especially major retailers like AEON Mall, MM Mega Market to grow the collection network in communities, raising the total number of drop-off stations to 76 nationwide.
