Hanoi (VNS/VNA) -🗹 Prudential Vietnam Assurance Private Ltd., andWorld Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) signed a collaboration agreement on November16 in Hanoi on the project “Building plastic pollution free communities.”

Prudential will contribute up to 7billion VND (299,657 USD) for the initiative in the first year and may expandits involvement in the coming years. The investment for the collaborationagreement with WWF is nearly 5.5 billion VND. The project will start in Hanoi andHo Chi Minh City, where the rapid economic development, robust populationgrowth and urbanisation have had serious environmental implications. It aims tofind solutions for plastic pollution problems on a large scale. It kicks off a series of operationsaiming at changing the perception of Vietnamese people on plastic consumptionand its impact on the environment, ecosystem and human health. It will also launch a chain ofactivities from Prudential’s Corporate Social Responsibility in the ClimateChange Adaptation and Environment Protection strategy for 2018 to 2021. CEO of Prudential Vietnam CliveBaker said Prudential had nearly 200,000 employees, agents and volunteers frommore than 350 offices across the country who would participate in the wasteassessment process, as well as long-term planning on plastic waste reduction.Each member would become a project ambassador to inspire change in theirfamily, social circles and community. “We hope to raise awareness amongcitizens and change the habit of using plastic products, not only for a cleanenvironment, but also for their own health,” said Clive. Benjamin Rawson, Conservation andProgramme Development Director of WWF Vietnam, said consumers were themotivation behind continued plastic production. “In this campaign, we will researchthe impact of plastic products on human health,” said Rawson. “We will shareour findings and disseminate the information through community venues such assupermarkets, trade centres and school in order to raise awareness and changepeoples’ behaviours.” According to a study by theUniversity of Georgia in 2015, Vietnam ranked fourth out of five countries inSoutheast Asia, emitting 54 percent of the total annual plastic waste byvolume. By the year 2025, there will be nearly one tonne of plastic waste forevery three tonnes of fish in the ocean. Plastic waste takes a very long time –sometimes centuries – to decompose. This process creates methane and ethylene,which are two greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. – VNS/VNA