Hard time for biodegradable bags in Viet Nam

Many eco-friendly products such as biodegradable plastic bags and non-baked bricks have been in the market for years, but the enterprises that produce these products are having a hard time developing them.

It took many years to introduce a biodegradable plastic bag, but even though it's available now, plastic bags are still used each day. Businesses which produce eco-friendly plastic bags face many difficulties when selling these.

Several years ago, big supermarket chains such as Metro, BigC and Coop Mart switched to using eco-friendly bags. However, consumers used it less and less because they had to buy instead of being given it free of charge as regular plastic bags.

Some firms said that it was difficult to sell these products in the retail market because the prices was quite high. Also, consumers weren't often willing to change their habits for regular plastic bags.

Many companies that produce biodegradable plastic bags cannot survive in domestic market. These products are mostly exported to Australia, Canada, Euorope....

There are few firms actively investing in environmentally friendly products, but this figure is still low, said Nguyen Quang Vinh, Deputy Secretary General of Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). There are fewer mechanisms to support firms investing in technology and solutions for the development of environmentally friendly products, he said. Meanwhile, 98 per cent of Vietnamese enterprises don't have enough financial resources, human resources and awareness to make it in the market.

In addition, many regulations detailing preferential treatment for environmentally friendly businesses weren't clear, so firms didn't know what there was to be gained, he said.

"Vietnamese enterprises will have to face competition and lose market shares not only in the international markets, but also in the domestic market, if they do not make changes and meet market demand when it comes to environmentally friendly products," he told the newspaper.

The State should add more preferential policies and support firms that produce environmentally friendly products, he said./.

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