Promoting a low-carbon circular economy in Vietnam from a Swedish perspective
The Embassy of Sweden, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), and Hanoi People’s Committee jointly hosted a workshop on “Promoting a low-carbon circular economy - a Swedish perspective”.
The workshop focused on discussions on Vietnam's policies and vision in promoting the circular economy, successful case studies in Sweden and in the region, as well as enterprises’ approach to access capital for implementing this model. One of the biggest obstacles for Vietnam in applying this model is the management of collection and recycling of waste resources, which is considered as input of the circular economy model. Therefore, the workshop also covered the evaluation of practical waste management in Hanoi, the Swedish waste collection and recycling model, and especially sharing about challenges and opportunities from a Vietnamese recycler’s perspective.
At the workshop Deputy Minister of MoNRE Vo Tuan Nhan said that the country is facing numerous challenges from the scarcity of natural resources, environmental pollution, and climate change. Thereby, promoting the circular economy would help Vietnam reach its sustainable development goals.
![]() |
Sweden is aiming for a zero-waste society and would happily share its experiences with Vietnam |
The Vietnamese government issued some policies to promote sustainability, strengthening the management of natural resources, and environmental protection, coping with climate change, promoting recycling, and reusing resources for circular economy.
Addressing the event, Swedish Ambassador Ann Måwe stressed that "In a circular economy, we see everything as a resource for something else – waste becomes a resource. Circular economy is good for both consumers and businesses. Companies that are moving in this direction have proved that recycling used products can be more cost effective than creating them from scratch. As a result, production costs are reduced, so that the sale price is also lowered, thereby benefiting the consumer. I hope this is inspiring for Vietnamese businesses."
"As one of the most sustainable countries in the world, Sweden is aiming for a zero-waste society. Thanks to the environmental awareness of its citizens, effective policies and incentives by the government and an efficient waste collection system in place, Sweden has made great progress in its ‘recycling revolution’ over the past two decades. The percentage of recycled waste by households has increased from 38 percent in 1975 to 99 percent today. Circular economy in a simple way means reduce, reuse and recycle. This also implies changed patterns of consumption. Sweden would happily share its experiences with Vietnam", continued Ambassador Måwe.
Sweden, at the other end of the spectrum, is one of the world’s leading countries in waste management and recycling. As a large amount of waste is recycled and used for other purposes such as biogas & energy, Sweden has now turned into a waste importer, importing more than 2.3 million tons of waste per year.
![]() |
Mr. Jeffrey Fielkow, Managing Director, Tetra Pak Vietnam, a typical Sweden-based business pioneering in initiatives to foster a low-carbon, circular economy |
Within the workshop framework, Tetra Pak - the Sweden-based food processing and packaging solution provider shared the Company’s journey towards a low-carbon, circular economy through environment protection initiatives. In particular, its key products – carton packages are made from Forest Stewardship Council certified cartons. The Company has recently started field testing paper straws for beverage products in Europe, becoming “the first carton packaging company” to launch paper straws in the region.
“Today, we should not think about global environmental issues such as climate and waste in isolation. We need to look at them together. At Tetra Pak, we are working to achieve this by delivering solutions with the lowest carbon footprint and highest efficiency, minimising the environmental impact on our own operations and working with partners towards circularity for our products.” highlighted Mr. Jeffrey Fielkow, Managing Director, Tetra Pak Vietnam.
Previously, in June 2019, Tetra Pak and eight flagship consumer goods and packaging companies aligned to form a new recycling initiative called Packaging Recycling Organization Vietnam (PRO Vietnam) to drive the circular economy and ensure packaging recycling is more accessible and sustainable across Vietnam. Going forward, Tetra Pak is making good progress to reach a 42 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and achieve our commitment to 100 percent renewable electricity supplied to our operations by 2030. |
See also

New river trash capture tool launched in Nam Dinh Province
15:00 | 23/03/2023 Environment

Việt Nam carries out measures for healthy forests
10:30 | 22/03/2023 Environment

COP28 President-Designate to co-chair Copenhagen climate ministerial meeting
09:46 | 22/03/2023 Environment

Practical effective activities urged to mark World Water Day
10:03 | 20/03/2023 Environment

BKEET steams ahead with waste treatment
13:00 | 15/03/2023 Make in Vietnam

Tree planting campaign targets carbon neutrality
06:00 | 13/03/2023 Environment
See more news

Can Tho, USAID foster collaboration to mitigate climate change effects
09:00 | 11/03/2023 Environment

Ministry plans to increase environmental protection tax on non-biodegradable packaging
07:00 | 09/03/2023 Environment

Oil and gas sector urged to increase commitments on global climate action
16:24 | 08/03/2023 Environment

Environment pollution authorities call for action addressing air pollution
09:12 | 06/03/2023 Environment

World Wildlife Day: More efforts needed to protect Việt Nam's biodiversity
10:01 | 03/03/2023 Environment

Green transformation, more than a slogan
13:00 | 28/02/2023 Environment

Industry, trade sector responds to climate change
13:00 | 27/02/2023 Environment

Hanoi kicks off net zero tree-planting project
09:22 | 27/02/2023 Environment

Textile, garment industries going green
06:00 | 25/02/2023 Environment

Conservation of wetland habitats contributes to carbon storage
08:00 | 24/02/2023 Environment

India introduces pharmaceutical industry' opportunities to potential Vietnamese investors
19:54 | 23/03/2023 Vietnam and other regions

TASConnect aims to serve Vietnam's supply chain finance market
16:06 | 23/03/2023 Digitalization

17 percent of companies surveyed in Vietnam ready to defend against cybersecurity threats
15:31 | 23/03/2023 Companies

Fortinet enhances single-vendor SASE solution to support work from anywhere
15:06 | 23/03/2023 Companies

New river trash capture tool launched in Nam Dinh Province
15:00 | 23/03/2023 Environment
Multimedia

Vietnam-Italy trade partnership
13:00 | 23/03/2023 Infographic

Renowned Vietnamese artists collaborate on unique porcelain artworks
06:00 | 23/03/2023 Lifestyle

Festivals in Sapa
10:05 | 22/03/2023 Entertainment

50th anniversary of Vietnam-Belgium diplomatic relations
07:00 | 22/03/2023 Infographic

Amazingly beautiful Ninh Thuan
09:13 | 20/03/2023 Video

New legal documents in first half of March 2023
06:00 | 23/03/2023 Policy

Animal feed industry asks for import tax reduction on raw materials
09:55 | 20/03/2023 Policy

Over 250 petitions submitted to authorities on fragility of petroleum regulations
18:07 | 16/03/2023 Policy

New legal documents in second half of February 2023
07:00 | 12/03/2023 Policy

Vietnam Manufacturing Expo & NEPCON Vietnam exhibition 2023 kick off
16:41 | 22/03/2023 Support industries

Offshore wind energy an essential base load power source: official
14:30 | 20/03/2023 Energy

Uncorking bottlenecks for support industry development
06:00 | 18/03/2023 Industry

Da Nang greens textile-garment industry
13:00 | 17/03/2023 Energy

India introduces pharmaceutical industry' opportunities to potential Vietnamese investors
19:54 | 23/03/2023 Vietnam and other regions

Vietnam attracts Czech investors
06:00 | 23/03/2023 FDI

US businesses exploring investment, business opportunities in Vietnam
10:01 | 21/03/2023 FDI

Da Nang hopes for further investment from RoK city
09:13 | 17/03/2023 FDI

Vietnam to develop policies to adapt to global minimum tax
07:05 | 23/03/2023 Finance-Banking

Vietnam seeks response to corporate tax overhaul
06:00 | 20/03/2023 Finance-Banking

Vietnam’s regulatory interest rates to be reduced by 0.5-1 percent
07:05 | 16/03/2023 Finance-Banking

Global Minimum Tax a head-scratcher for Vietnamese policymakers
06:00 | 13/03/2023 Finance-Banking

New river trash capture tool launched in Nam Dinh Province
15:00 | 23/03/2023 Environment

Việt Nam carries out measures for healthy forests
10:30 | 22/03/2023 Environment

COP28 President-Designate to co-chair Copenhagen climate ministerial meeting
09:46 | 22/03/2023 Environment

Practical effective activities urged to mark World Water Day
10:03 | 20/03/2023 Environment

Science, technology, innovation promoted to support national development
06:00 | 22/03/2023 Science - Technology

Vietnam introduces automated sorting system
13:00 | 20/03/2023 Make in Vietnam

Domestic ICT firms well-positioned to reach out to the world
06:00 | 20/03/2023 Science - Technology

Innovation platforms boosting sustainable development announced
06:00 | 18/03/2023 Science - Technology

Việt Nam strives to eliminate malaria once and for all
09:16 | 23/03/2023 Society

Transport infrastructure fund needed to enhance Southeast regional linkages
09:52 | 21/03/2023 Society

Hà Nội to build new bridge crossing Red River
07:00 | 19/03/2023 Metropolis

Hoa Binh, sustainable investment destination
13:00 | 16/03/2023 Province

Bamboo Airways to launch Viet Nam’s longest domestic air route from April
14:53 | 22/03/2023 Vietnamese Brands

King Coffee and Tín Thành Group partner to build a tyre plant in the US
10:20 | 20/03/2023 Vietnamese Brands

Vietjet announces first direct air route between Vietnam, Queensland
18:33 | 16/03/2023 Companies

Vietnamese businesses attend Foodex Japan 2023
06:00 | 13/03/2023 Foreign trade

Renowned Vietnamese artists collaborate on unique porcelain artworks
06:00 | 23/03/2023 Lifestyle

Việt Nam's grilled bananas among world’s most delicious desserts
06:00 | 20/03/2023 Lifestyle

A dish to try beef-ore you go, Buôn Ma Thuột's famous beef in tamarind sauce
06:00 | 18/03/2023 Lifestyle

Indian community celebrates colour festival Holi in Vietnam
18:00 | 16/03/2023 Culture

Japanese man gives his love to Hà Giang
06:00 | 23/03/2023 Tourism

Visa exemption means int'l tourists can visit Phu Quoc for up to 30 days
16:32 | 22/03/2023 Tourism

New discoveries at the Citadel of Hồ dynasty
06:00 | 21/03/2023 Tourism

Tram Tau: A remote slice of heaven
06:00 | 19/03/2023 Province