VIETNAM’S CARBON MARKET: FROM POLICY TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECYCLING BUSINESSES

On August 14, 2026, the Vietnam Carbon Forum 2026, themed “From Policy to Action,” was held in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing together approximately 400 delegates from regulatory agencies, associations, businesses, banks, securities companies, domestic and international investment funds, and international organizations.

According to Nông nghiệp và Môi trường, one of the key messages emerging from the Forum was that Vietnam is gradually moving from the stage of developing carbon market policies toward implementation and the actual operation of the carbon market.

Discussions at the Forum focused on important issues including the operation of Vietnam’s carbon market, emission reduction results and carbon credits under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, the Article 6.4 mechanism, carbon credit quality, environmental integrity, and the connection between carbon credit supply and demand.

Why should recycling businesses pay attention to the carbon market?

For the recycling business community, particularly metal recycling companies, carbon should not be viewed solely as an environmental obligation.

The fundamental nature of recycling is to return materials to the production cycle, thereby reducing the need for virgin raw materials. In many production chains, the use of recycled materials can significantly reduce emissions compared with producing materials from virgin resources.

This opens up a new development pathway for the recycling industry, in which value can be created from scrap through recycling, transforming it into secondary raw materials, creating the potential for emissions reductions, generating carbon data, and ultimately creating additional economic value.

In the future, businesses will compete not only on price, quality, and production volume. The ability to demonstrate the origin of materials, emission levels, and the emissions reduction performance of products will increasingly become an important requirement in global supply chains.

What should recycling businesses prepare for today?

In response to this trend, VMRF recommends that recycling businesses gradually develop capabilities in greenhouse gas emissions measurement and management, collect data on electricity, fuel, and raw material consumption, and establish traceability systems for scrap and recycled raw materials.

Businesses should also gradually familiarize themselves with requirements related to ESG, EPR, and carbon regulations; determine the carbon footprint of recycled products; and assess their potential to participate in emissions reduction projects, access green finance, and engage in appropriate carbon mechanisms.

However, not every recycling activity automatically generates carbon credits. For a project to generate tradable carbon credits, it must comply with an appropriate methodology, as well as measurement, reporting, and verification requirements and relevant legal conditions.

Even when a business is not yet able to generate carbon credits, the ability to demonstrate that a product contains a high proportion of recycled materials and has a lower emissions profile can still become an important commercial advantage when participating in global supply chains.

Carbon could become part of the value of recycled materials

The Vietnam Carbon Forum 2026 demonstrated that the market is moving toward increasingly clear connections between carbon, green finance, technology, data, and emissions reduction projects.

This is also a trend that the recycling industry needs to pay particular attention to.

In the future, a recycling company may not simply sell one tonne of recycled aluminum, copper, lead, or steel. It may also need to demonstrate where the material came from, what proportion of the material is recycled, how much emissions were generated during production, and how much emissions the product has helped reduce compared with virgin raw materials.

When such data is measured and reliably verified, carbon could become a new economic attribute of recycled raw materials.

VMRF connects the recycling industry with the circular economy and green finance

VMRF will continue to provide updates on policies and knowledge related to ESG, EPR, carbon, and green finance, helping the recycling business community gradually understand these requirements, prepare for them, and transform environmental requirements into competitive capabilities and opportunities for sustainable development.

Recycling is not merely a waste treatment activity.

Recycling is becoming an important link in the supply chain for low-carbon raw materials.

Reference: Nông nghiệp và Môi trường – Vietnam Carbon Forum 2026.

Original article: A link: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/khai-mac-dien-dan-carbon-viet-nam-2026-tu-chinh-sach-den-hanh-dong-d826065.html

Video: The Vietnam Carbon Forum 2026