URC’s growing presence in Asia and Oceania is not only bringing wider choices and generating employment in those regions, it is making life better in other ways as well.
In Vietnam, for instance, URC Vietnam is one of the major proponents of greater sustainable development. In June 2019, the company became one of the founding members of Packaging Recycling Organization Vietnam along with eight other consumer goods and packaging industry firms. Together, they aim to achieve a “clean, green, and beautiful Vietnam” by using the 3R principles of the circular economy—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—in their plant operations. Laurent Levan, President and General Director of URC Vietnam, heads PRO Vietnam’s Technical Operation Committee.
Laurent Levan, President and General Director of URC Vietnam (3rd from left), with URC Vietnam Management Committee members and the organizing staff of the Bin It Right campaign.
In August 2020, URC Vietnam further bolstered its advocacy for sustainability by becoming a member of the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development. Established by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, VBCSD promotes the business community’s role in the implementation of the Vietnamese government’s “Strategic Orientation for Sustainable Development” framework. By promoting the sharing of best practices, solutions, and past experiences, VBCSD is part of a multi-sectoral approach involving the government, business community, and civic organizations toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
URC Vietnam’s employees have also embraced the advocacy for sustainability, as they actively participate in awareness-raising initiatives of the company. In commemoration of World Environment Day (June 5) and World Oceans Day (June 8), URC Vietnam launched in June the Bin It Right campaign, an awareness program encouraging the company’s employees to properly segregate their waste and apply the 3R’s in their daily routines. This is part of the company’s response to the growing problem of plastic pollution in Vietnam. Data shows that the country has become one of the top 20 countries that mismanage plastic waste, with only 27% of plastics produced in the country being recycled.
The Bin It Right campaign included a contest to see how employees could properly segregate waste and creatively reuse plastic products. It is aligned with PRO Vietnam’s goal that by 2030, all packaging material put into the market by its members shall be collected for recycling. In a span of one month, URC Vietnam received more than 60 innovative reusing and recycling ideas generated by URC employees and their families.
With positive and encouraging initiatives like these as well as its track record for quality, safety, and sustainability, it is no surprise that URC Vietnam has been named one of the Top 100 Sustainable Businesses in Vietnam since 2019.
This year, that journey towards a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful Vietnam continues.
For more information on URC Vietnam, visit urc.com.vn/en
To learn more about URC and its portfolio of products, visit urc.com.ph
