National portal for extended producer responsibility put into operation
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has announced the official operation of the national portal for extended producer responsibility (EPR), supporting manufacturers and importers in registering, declaring, and reporting their activities.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has announced the official operation of the national portal for extended producer responsibility (EPR), supporting manufacturers and importers in registering, declaring, and reporting their activities.
EPR entails manufacturers and importers taking responsibility for managing the disposal of their product packaging when it is discarded into the environment. Currently, there are over 400 different EPR systems implemented worldwide.
Via the portal, //epr.monre.gov.vn/, the groups subject to EPR obligations in recycling their products and packaging and in handling waste as stipulated in Article 54 and 55 of the 2020 Environmental Protection Law are now able to register, declare, and report their compliance with product-packaging recycle and waste management responsibilities online starting January 29, instead of submitting paper documents to the ministry.
Furthermore, they can access the website to be updated on legal regulations and receive legal advice.
A packaging production line. (Photo: VNA)
According to the roadmap in Vietnam, manufacturers and importers must fulfill their recycling responsibilities for tires, lead-acid batteries, lubricants, and products with packaging starting from January 1, 2024; for electrical and electronic products from the first day of 2025, and for transport vehicles (motorbikes and automobiles) from January 1, 2027./.
A virtual conference took place in Hanoi on November 4, spotlighting the theme of promoting the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) to support circular economy development in Vietnam.
While affirming the role of extended producer responsibility (EPR) in supporting waste treatment and the circular economy is closely linked to each other, many experts believed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) needs to come up with a roadmap for the implementation of EPR.
Although the Environmental Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme could create an incentive for the phase-out of eco-unfriendly and non-recyclable packaging in the long term, it would shift the heavy financial burden for end-of-life waste management from municipalities to producers and importers.
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A screenshoot of the site. 
A packaging production line. (Photo: VNA) 
