Exhibition seeks to raise public awareness on plastic waste reduction

Nylon bags left by people at Đà river in northern Hòa Bình Province after they released carps during the Ông Công – Ông Táo (Land Genie and Kitchen Gods) ceremony on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo 

 HÀ NỘI — The exhibition “Plastic Tale of River” has opened in Hà Nội with the aim of raising people’s awareness of the use of plastic bags and other single-use plastic products.

It is co-organised by the Institute of Strategy, Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, the World Wide Fund for Nature in Việt Nam, the National Plastic Action Partnership and the Goethe-Institute.

The exhibition is intended to provide the audience with an overview of the current status of plastic waste in Việt Nam, inspiring people to take action for a better environment.

Artworks by photographers Trương Đại Dương and Nguyễn Việt Hùng and short films incorporating messages on plastic waste reduction are on display at the event.

Addressing the opening of the exhibition, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Elsbeth Akkerman said coordination among the Government, the private sector and consumers was a must to jointly take action to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics.

Each individual action will make a significant change in reducing plastic waste in the world, she said.

Nguyễn Thị Diệu Thúy, director of WWF Việt Nam’s Plastic Waste Reduction Programme, said Việt Nam was campaigning for a global agreement on ocean plastic pollution and was also one of the first countries to have localities committed to becoming plastic reduction cities. This reflects a strong determination to solve the current plastic crisis.

She said that the exhibition would contribute to getting more interested parties to act together towards sustainable consumption and plastic pollution reduction in Việt Nam.

The exhibition is part of the project ‘Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solution for Marine Waste,’ funded by the European Union and the German government, and executed by German GIZ and French Expertise France in Việt Nam.

The exhibition will run until March 15 at the Goethe Institute.

The institute will coordinate with ISPONRE to develop a virtual exhibition model on the Gathertown application to reach an interested audience as well as support a series of side events contributing to identifying practical solutions regarding policy, as well as technical and communication aspects to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags and products. — VnExpress News