Workshop discusses electronic waste treatment
A workshop was held in Hanoi on November 13 for participants to share their experiences in building electrical and electronic waste collection and treatment systems.
The event, organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in conjunction with the APEC Telecommunications and Information Technology Working Group, attracted the participation of domestic and foreign environment experts and representatives from IT businesses.
It also aims to raise awareness of building and implementing regulations on electrical and electronic waste treatment and management in Vietnam.
Addressing the workshop, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyen stressed over recent years, Vietnam’s IT industry has seen a robust growth. However, environmental pollution caused by production activities in the industry is posing challenges to the environment and the community’s health.
Kok Wah Boey, Head of Environmental Management for Asia and Pacific and Japan at HP Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd, expressed his belief that experiences shared at the event will contribute to setting up a practical legal framework on electrical and electronic waste management in the country.
With the assistance from the Vietnamese Government, HP and its partners have implemented global environmental initiatives towards building a sustainable business environment in Vietnam, Kok-Wah Boey said.
At the event, participants focused their discussion on measures to design a waste collection model suitable for Vietnam’s socio-economic conditions. They also defined necessary preparations to help IT businesses develop the model successfully.
Vietnam sees a robust growth in the IT sector, with its turnover reaching US$25.5 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 86.3% over the previous year.
Last year’s exports of IT products hit US$20 billion, up 82% over 2011, accounting for 17.5% of the country’s total export turnover.