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In Viet Nam, efforts are underway to eliminate the use of harmful substances in healthcare and manufacturing, to help ensure the fast-growing sectors thrive without endangering the country’s communities or ecosystems.
The four-year project, Reduce the impact and release of mercury and POPs in Viet Nam through lifecycle approach and ecolabel, includes innovative measures to target mercury, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and other chemicals whose use and disposal can create wide risks across the country.
Manufacturing has been a driving force behind Viet Nam’s economy for more than a decade. Given the sector’s size and importance, the adoption of cleaner and greener manufacturing methods could have a highly positive impact on the health of the country’s environment and its people.
And while many hospitals have switched to electronic alternatives, older mercury-containing thermometers, blood pressure monitors, and fluorescent lamps can still be found throughout the healthcare system. Their elimination requires a complex process of identification, replacement, and safe disposal of contaminated material.
As it gathers momentum, the GEF-funded and UNDP-implemented project is reviewing Viet Nam’s policies and regulations governing the import, use, and disposal of hazardous materials. Work will then go into building strong oversight mechanisms that incorporate guidance from the Minamata and Stockholm conventions.
It will then spearhead the creation of a roadmap for the removal and safe disposal of all mercury-containing equipment in the healthcare sector, and the procurement of safe alternatives. It will then help medical facilities set up systems to segregate mercury and dispose of contaminated equipment safely.
In manufacturing, the project is deploying multiple approaches to support cleaner and safer production methods. One key element is the creation of a green financing framework, with incentives to encourage large and small manufacturers to shift to a circular economy, switch to less chemically-intensive products and processes, replace POPs with less harmful alternatives, and deal with legacy stockpiles and waste without endangering the environment or human health.
These will include tax breaks and credits, help accessing green financing, the establishment of a Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ecolabelling scheme to support business growth, and the introduction of extended producer responsibility: a mechanism that shifts the cost of disposing of toxic wastes to the companies that generate them.
Working with industry associations, teams will also launch a survey to identify all hazardous chemicals used across the manufacturing value chain and will develop certifications to award to enterprises that successfully phase out these substances.
Key industries will receive technical advice on ways to lessen their reliance on harmful chemicals. These can include such steps as redesigning products so they need fewer water repellants and flame retardants (e.g. switching to mattresses made from natural fiber rather than flammable components such as memory foam).
Through these measures, the project aims to help Vietnamese manufacturers and healthcare providers achieve growth that is healthy for the environment as well as the economy, and safer for workers, communities, and ecosystems alike.
