Vietnam draft decree delays plastic bag and single-use ban to end-2030 and proposes fees
Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has drafted a decree under the Law on Environmental Protection that would stop production and import of thin, hard-to-degrade plastic bags and single-use plastics only after 31 December 2030, rather than banning them this year. It also proposes environmental taxes or fees on these products, an end to free distribution at supermarkets, malls, hotels and tourist sites, and, from 1 January 2030, minimum recycled content of 10% in plastic packaging and 20% in industrial paper packaging. The draft is being revised before submission to the government.
Why this mattersThe delay gives Vietnamese plastics converters until end-2030, while recycled-content floors of 10% for plastic and 20% for industrial paper packaging from 2030 create demand for recyclate.
- The draft decree has 13 chapters and 237 articles under Vietnam's Law on Environmental Protection
- Production and import of hard-to-degrade plastic bags thinner than 30 micrometres would stop only after 31 December 2030
- Single-use plastic products and hard-to-degrade plastic packaging face the same 31 December 2030 cut-off
- From 1 January 2030, minimum recycled content of 10% for plastic packaging and 20% for industrial paper packaging
- Provinces would stop free distribution of plastic bags and single-use plastics at malls, supermarkets, hotels and tourist sites
- Environmental taxes or fees would apply to these products, with rates set by the Ministry of Finance