AUSTRALIA’s national science agency has announced plans to open a hub in Vietnam to help reduce plastic waste in the region.

The Plastics Innovation Hub Vietnam will be run out of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in partnership with Vietnam’s Science and Technology Ministry, said Xinhua.

It will oversee collaboration between local communities, governments, researchers and businesses on projects to reduce the impacts of plastic waste. 

According to the CSIRO, 75% of plastic produced globally becomes waste. 

Amelia Fyfield, CSIRO Southeast Asia counsellor, said collaboration is key to solving waste challenges. 

“The Plastics Innovation Hub Vietnam differentiates itself by focusing on early-stage initiatives, setting foundations, and aiming to connect participants with key networks,” she said in a media release yesterday.

It comes three months after the CSIRO opened the Plastics Innovation Hub in Indonesia in March.

The network of hubs is a key part of the organisation’s Ending Plastic Waste mission, which aims to transform the way plastic is used, manufactured and recycled.

“Reducing plastic waste brings economic and environmental advantages,” Kim Wimbush, programme director for CSIRO and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) venture Aus4Innovation, said.

“Expanding our collaborations across the region will identify new approaches in reducing plastic waste and support Vietnam’s pledge to reduce the flow of plastics into the ocean by 75% by 2030.” – Bernama, June 24, 2022.