DECISION

PROMULGATING VIETNAM ECO-LABEL CRITERIA APPLICABLE TO ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PLASTIC PACKAGING

MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

Pursuant to the Law on Environmental Protection dated November 17, 2020;

Pursuant to Government’s Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP dated January 10, 2022 on elaboration of some Articles of the Law on Environmental Protection;

Pursuant to Government’s Decree No. 68/2022/ND-CP dated September 22, 2022 on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

Pursuant to Circular No. 02/2022/TT-BTNMT dated January 10, 2022 of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment on elaboration of some Articles of the Law on Environmental Protection;

At the request of the Director of the Pollution Control Department.

...

...

...

Article 1. Vietnam eco-label criteria (code: 01:2023) applicable to environmentally friendly plastic packaging are promulgated with this Decision.

Article 2. This Decision comes into force as of its date of signing.

Article 3. Chief of the Ministry’s Office, Director of the Pollution Control Department, heads of units affiliated to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies and units are responsible for the implementation of this Decision./.

PP. MINISTER
DEPUTY MINISTER




Vo Tuan Nhan

VIETNAM ECOLABEL CRITERIA

...

...

...

VIETNAM ECOLABEL - 01:2023

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PLASTIC PACKAGING

Environmentally friendly plastic packaging

(Issued together with Decision No.    /QD-BTNMT dated    ,2023 of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment)

I. Description of product types:

Within the scope of criteria, environmentally friendly plastic packaging (herein referred to as “packaging”) includes biodegradable plastic packaging and recycled plastic packaging, primarily composed of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP).  The packaging may come in various forms such as bags having openings, bases and walls or films used to wrap, cover, store, and protect the utility value of products and goods in the domestic sector or fields, including industry, agriculture, construction, etc.

Biodegradable plastic packaging means packaging which is produced from biodegradable plastic and capable of aerobic or anaerobic biodegradation (in natural environment, compost or domestic solid waste landfill) into carbon dioxide (CO₂), water (H₂O), inorganic compounds and biomass.

Recycled plastic packaging means packaging which is produced from recycled synthetic resin in a certain ratio and capable of recovery and recycling.

...

...

...

The plastic packaging persists in the environment for hundreds of years before complete decomposition, thereby causing pollution issues due to inadequate recycling and co-disposal with other types of waste.  The plastic production process for packaging has environmental impacts that are significant, including greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption, and depletion of natural resources.

The packaging production positively impacts on both the economy and the environment by lowering costs of petroleum-based plastic materials in the production process, cutting expenses on waste disposal in landfills, decreasing resource extraction for plastic production, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

III. Environmental protection objectives:

3.1. Encourage sustainable production and consumption; improve competitiveness of Vietnam Eco-label certified products in the market.

3.2. Reduce solid waste and use natural resources in an economic manner by use and reuse of plastic packaging.

3.3. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by production and disposal of plastic packaging after use.

IV. Criteria:

4.1. General criteria:

Products shall be produced at production and trade facilities according to the law on environmental protection and other relevant regulations.

...

...

...

4.2.1. Regarding materials, substances and fuels:

a) Materials, substances and fuels used to produce packaging shall be originated from biodegradable plastic materials (for biodegradable plastic packaging) or clean recycled PE and PP plastics (for recycled plastic packaging) and additives that do not contain components or substances prohibited from import or use in Vietnam.

b) It is also prohibited from use of inks, dyes, and other additives in accordance with environmental and health safety regulations on packaging production.

4.2.2. Regarding technical specifications and allowable limits for pollution parameters in products:

a) The quality of products shall meet national standards or equivalent international standards (if available).

b) Regarding biodegradable plastic packaging, the minimum biodegradation rate shall be 90% within two years in natural environment, compost, or domestic solid waste landfills.

c) Regarding recycled plastic packaging, at least 20% of the packaging materials shall come from recycled plastic of which the thickness is at least 50 µm and the minimum size of each dimension is at least 50 cm.

d) The maximum permissible concentration of heavy metals, nonmetals and Flo in packaging is regulated as follows: 5 mg/kg; Cadmi (Cd): 0,5 mg/kg; Lead (Pb): 50 mg/kg; Copper (Cu): 50 mg/kg; Zinc (Zn): 150 mg/kg; Mercury (Hg): 0,5 mg/kg; Nickel (Ni): 25 mg/kg; Chrome (Cr): 50 mg/kg; Molybdenum (Mo): 1 mg/kg; Selenium (Se): 0,75 mg/kg; Flo (F): 100 mg/kg.

dd) The experimentation for determination of specifications specified in Points b, c and d shall be carried out according to national standards, including TCVN 11318, TCVN 11319, TCVN 11797, TCVN 11798, TCVN 9493, TCVN 13114, TCVN 10100, TCVN 10101; or international standards, including: ISO 14851, ISO 14852, ISO 14855, ISO 17088, ASTM 6400, EN 13432, AS 4736 or national and international standards that are equivalent.

...

...

...

In case of registration of multiple labels of products of the same category, and with the same rate of mixed materials and the same production technology, the representative products will undergo experimentation.

4.2.3. Regarding recovery, recycling, processing, and disposal

Plans to recover and recycle used packaging, information about recycling facility addresses, procedures for recovery, recycling and disposal, recycling technology, solutions for recovery, recycling, processing and disposal of used packaging, and environmental protection measures shall comply with law regulations.