Hanoi, Vietnam: ALBA Group Asia, the leading provider of waste management and recycling solutions for communities and industry of German origin, and VietCycle, the long-standing leading waste collection and plastic recycling company in Vietnam, announced today, the signing of a cooperation agreement to jointly develop the largest food-grade PET/HDPE plastic recycling plant in Vietnam.

At the signing ceremony, held in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, Mr. Hoang Van Thuc, General Director of the Department of Pollution Control, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Deputy German Ambassador, Dr. Simon Kreye, welcomed the agreement as a significant contribution to Vietnam’s efforts to fight environmental pollution.

According to the World Bank, Vietnam is one of the major polluters of the world’s oceans. Annually, approximately 3 million tonnes of plastic waste are discharged on land in Vietnam, and an estimated 0.28 to 0.73 million tonnes of plastic waste are released into the ocean. Across Vietnam, local governments struggle to collect, transport, treat, and dispose of their growing waste streams. This situation is expected to worsen with rapid urbanization coupled with increasing economic and population growth.

ALBA Group Asia and VietCycle have joined in partnership to meet this challenge. They plan to develop a facility which will have an estimated CAPEX of up to USD 50 Million and a capacity of up to 48,000 tonnes/year; the first phase of operations is expected to start in 2024/25.

The project will use advanced technology to produce food-grade PET/HDPE resin to meet international standards set by EU and adopted by many multinational corporations.

Dr. Axel Schweitzer, Chairman and Shareholder of ALBA Group Asia is looking forward to the project: “Our vision is a world without waste. At the same time, with our holistic approach and using digitalization, our goal is to help sustainably improve the living and working conditions of collectors. With this project and the collaboration with our partners from VietCycle, we make a huge step in this direction. It will be an ideal combination of ALBA Group Asia’s global waste management and plastic recycling expertise and VietCycle’s knowledge of the local plastic network. The project will be part of a much-needed solution to Vietnam’s growing plastic waste problem. Furthermore, it will create a significant number of green jobs and will improve many people’s socioeconomic situation. For me personally, this is as important as the impact on the environment and the economic success.”

The partnership between ALBA and VietCycle will enable the expansion of VietCycle’s network. Thereby, ALBA and VietCycle will jointly make efforts to promote gender equality and social inclusion in the collection system in particular, and in the plastic recycling industry in general. This is also one of the main goals that the partnership is aiming to achieve.

“The cooperation with ALBA helps us realize our dream of recovering plastic waste on the basis of advanced technology, contributing to sustainability and humanity.” explains Hoang Duc Vuong, Chairman of VietCycle Joint Stock Company.

Besides the promising business partnership, its economic effects and the substantial contribution to Vietnam’s effort to combat climate change, the expansion will allow both ALBA and VietCycle to reach out to more disadvantaged collectors and improve their lives by providing them with training and social insurance benefits. For this purpose, ALBA BERLIN Asia Academy, already operating in ten countries, will integrate training programs into cooperation activities between the two sides.

About ALBA Group Asia:
ALBA has more than 50 years of experience in Europe and more than 20 years in Asia in the waste management and recycling industry. ALBA Group Asia has its headquarters in Hong Kong SAR, and has its operating facilities in China, Indonesia, and Singapore. With its vision for a World without Waste, the company focuses on four business areas, namely: Smart City Solutions, Plastics Recycling, Green Gas & Green Fuel Technology, Hazardous Waste Recycling & Management. ALBA is globally renowned for top-quality recycling and smart waste management solutions. Further information can be found at www.alba.com

About VietCycle:
VietCycle was incorporated by a team of visionary leaders with more than 20 years of experience in waste collection and plastic recycling in Vietnam. The company has cooperated with domestic and international organizations to carry out activities to support the disadvantaged group of informal workers including women in the plastic recycling and collection industry. In 2022, VietCycle collected and sorted more than 16,000 tonnes of plastic waste from four provinces in the north (Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and Vinh Phuc). In addition, VietCycle has ongoing partnerships with many international organizations including UNDP, AEPW, Dow Chemical, IUCN, TCP Group, PEPSI, and Unilever to increase collection rate as well as organize gender equality and social inclusion programs. Further information can be found at www.vietcycle.vn

Free use of the attached picture is authorised, provided the source ALBA Group Asia is acknowledged.

At the picture with the signing, you see from the left: Dr. Axel Schweitzer – Chairman and Shareholder of ALBA Group Asia, Dr. Simon Kreye – Deputy German Ambassador, Tobias Huinink Business – Director Asia ALBA Group Asia, Nguyen Van Tuan – Director of VietCycle, Hoang Van Thuc – General Director of the Department of Pollution Control, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Hoang Duc Vuong – Chairman of VietCycle Joint Stock Company

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