Women at forefront of sustainable and circular economy development

Forum participants
Speaking at the Forum, Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Huong, VWU vice president emphasized that women are playing a pivotal role in bringing about positive change across various aspects of society, including the transition to greener and more circular economy. "Women are proactive, creative, and pioneering in maximizing resource utilization, minimizing waste, and reducing negative environmental impacts," Ms. Huong said.
VWU Vice President Nguyen Thi Minh Huong speak at the Forum
Women are an important force in environmental protection
In the context of population growth and socio-economic development, the problem of household solid waste has become one of the major challenges to the environment and public health. Viet Nam generates nearly 68,000 tons of waste daily, 3.9 million tons of plastic each year. 70% of household solid waste is treated by digging and burning which wastes a lot of land and water and cause environmental pollution. Therefore, recycling household solid waste is not only environmentally significant but also brings economic benefits, an important step in promoting green economic development and circular economy. Regarding this issue, women are driving factors for sustainable development. At the community level, they are actively involved in waste reduction, recycling, and resource conservation.
Moreover, female entrepreneurs, who account for over a quarter of businesses, highest rate in Southeast Asia, are driving innovation in sustainable development, promoting green initiatives, and fostering a circular economy.
Communication to raise awareness and change behavior of women
VWU’s communication publications on classifying and treating household solid waste at source
The Vietnam Women's Union at all levels has coordinated with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to organize many activities to mobilize members and women to proactively and actively participate in protecting the environment, especially through the campaign "Building the Families of 5 Without-s & 3 Clean-s", national target program on New Rural Construction, "Anti-plastic waste" movement, Project "Planting one billion trees in the period 2021 – 2025”…The VWU’s communication efforts focus on raising awareness and changing behavior of members, women and people in collecting, recycling and reusing waste; strengthening the management of plastic waste in agricultural, forestry and fishery production activities in Vietnam; building a residential community without plastic waste; encouraging initiatives to create safe, environmentally friendly products with practical value for the community, contributing to the development of the circular economy towards sustainable development. As a result, many good and creative models, practices in recycling and reusing resources from domestic solid waste sources by women’s unions at all levels have been built, maintained and replicated, which have been actively contributing to creating a change in the awareness and action of environmental protection of each VWU’s cadre and member, women and the community.
This forum brought together experts to discuss innovative solutions for waste management and green economic growth. Participants highlighted the importance of community-led initiatives, such as waste segregation at source, and the role of women entrepreneurs in driving sustainable business practices.
The forum featured two sessions: one focused on women's contributions to waste management at the community level, and the other on women's leadership in promoting circular economy models.
As Viet Nam strives to achieve its net-zero emissions target, the active engagement of women is crucial in shaping a more sustainable future.