Consumers are changing their consumption behaviours toward a more sustainable lifestyle, including reducing plastic waste, only buying essential goods or classifying garbage for recycling, said Northern Region Manager of NielsenIQ Vietnam Dang Thuy Ha.

The key factors influencing consumption behaviours include reasonable prices, safety and hygiene, healthiness, trustworthy brands, environmental sustainability and friendliness so that retailers could employ several strategies to encourage green consumption, she said.

Ha suggested common options such as using electric vehicles for transport, providing organic products, reducing food waste, or offering loyalty rewards for purchasing sustainable products.

Over the past years, many green consumption models have gained popularity in the community, such as using banana leaves to package fruits and vegetables, using glass water bottles, bamboo or paper straws, replacing plastic cups with paper cups, and using fabric bags instead of plastic bags.

Ha advised manufacturers to carry out the efficiency of their emission reduction action plans by internal or third-party experts, replace and reduce plastics in packaging and commit to using sustainable and eco-friendly energy.

At the same time, they should develop technologies to collect data on emission levels; apply sensor, AI and automation technologies to improve supply chains and reduce the waste of water, energy and materials.

Dr. Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy, said the green and sustainable development trends have been discussed more than ever before.

However, he also admitted that almost small and medium-sized enterprises lack capital for green production./. VNA