Reducing uses and releases of chemicals of concern, including POPs, in the textiles sector. National Meeting Vietnam, 20 July 2021

Reducing uses and releases of chemicals of concern, including POPs, in the textiles sector. The Vietnam National Meeting was held on 20 July 2021. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the activities that are being carried out to stakeholders from related sectors and to solicit input and recommendations, particularly regarding policies, management, chemicals used and the textile supply chain in Vietnam. This data is used to complete reports that are being prepared by the consultant team.

This report presents discussions for: i) Notes on policies and laws related to chemicals and environmental protection applicable to the Textile and Garment industry; ii) Proposed project interventions for Vietnam, to facilitate good chemical management in the textile and garment industries (including selection of factories for pilot projects); iii) Project interventions are proposed to strengthen policies and laws related to chemicals and environmental protection applicable to the Textile and Garment industry.

The purpose of the meeting is as follows:

• Find solutions to promote the sustainable development of the textile and garment industry in the future and propose project implementation content to identify chemicals that need to be prioritized for conversion, including POPs, in the textile sector;
• Implement steps to convert chemicals that are safe for the environment;
• Adopt an ecological innovation strategy towards a non-toxic, circular economy approach in textile production systems;
• National capacity building in chemical data collection and reporting should be prioritized in Vietnam in the coming period.

The results or outputs expected from the meeting include the following:

• Awareness and sensitivity of national stakeholders about reducing the use and release of chemicals of concern, including POPs, in the textile sector.
• Input from national stakeholders on baseline data:

1. 1. Policy assessment.
   2. Data knowledge management and sharing.
   3. Use and management of chemicals.
   4. Textile supply chain.

• Minutes and reports of the National launch meeting in Vietnam.