Vietnam has set a target to reduce its Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) consumption by 35% by 2024 in an attempt to help protect the ozone layer, state media reported. This was the main target of the second stage of the country’s HCFC phase-out plan themed “National Management Plan for eliminating HCFC substances of Vietnam” (HPMP II), which was launched in Hanoi on September 16. Under the plan, about 80 companies will receive support to change technologies to cut down the use of 1,000 tons of HCFC-22 (a refrigerant widely used in the seafood processing industry) by 2024.
The launch of the plan aims to mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The event was co-held by Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the World Bank (WB). In 1994, Vietnam became one of the first countries to join the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Vietnam has eliminated the consumption of CFC, Halon, and CTC since 2010 and completely stopped the use of HCFC-141b and Methyl Bromide since 2015. On September 4, 2019, the Vietnamese government issued Resolution 64/NQ-CP, officially approving the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. (VietnamNews, VTV, Lao Dong, moitruongvadothi, Vietnam Plus, VOV, Ha Noi Moi, VNReview)
