Vietnam Food (VNF) sincerely thanks UNDP Viet Nam for recognizing its biodegradable fruit wrapping solution made from chitosan in the publication “Viet Nam’s Plastic Innovation Shift (2020-2025)”.
addressing environmental challenges by finding practical uses for existing waste streams.
Waste to Waste to Waste – when one waste stream becomes the solution for another
VNF’s journey began with shrimp by-products.
This transformation enabled VNF to develop chitosan-based biodegradable fruit wraps. The wraps are designed as alternatives to conventional plastics used in farming and post-harvest handling.
In addition to reducing plastic use, the solution helps address post-harvest losses, a persistent challenge across agricultural value chains worldwide.
Shrimp by-products → reduced plastic waste → reduced agricultural losses.
From recognition to real-world implementation
After receiving First Prize at the UNDP Plastic Innovation Programme (PIP), the project moved beyond recognition.
VNF sincerely thanks UNDP in Việt Nam, BSSC, IBP and partners across the innovation ecosystem for recognizing and supporting this initiative.
Read the full UNDP Viet Nam publication here:
The publication, developed through extensive research and multi-stakeholder consultations led by UNDP Viet Nam, provides an overview of Viet Nam’s plastic innovation ecosystem during the 2020-2025 period. It covers policy frameworks, enterprises, and real-world pilot models, with a shared objective of reducing plastic pollution and supporting the transition toward a circular economy.
VNF’s inclusion as one of 18 pioneering solutions contributing to plastic waste reduction in Viet Nam represents a meaningful milestone. It reflects the core approach the company has followed from the outset:
addressing environmental challenges by finding practical uses for existing waste streams. Waste to Waste to Waste – when one waste stream becomes the solution for another VNF’s journey began with shrimp by-products.Shrimp shells, once treated as waste, are now processed using biotechnology to produce high-value bio-based chitosan polymers.
This transformation enabled VNF to develop chitosan-based biodegradable fruit wraps. The wraps are designed as alternatives to conventional plastics used in farming and post-harvest handling. In addition to reducing plastic use, the solution helps address post-harvest losses, a persistent challenge across agricultural value chains worldwide. Shrimp by-products → reduced plastic waste → reduced agricultural losses.This sequence reflects how VNF applies the waste to waste to waste approach in practice.
From recognition to real-world implementation After receiving First Prize at the UNDP Plastic Innovation Programme (PIP), the project moved beyond recognition.It is currently being piloted at farms to assess fruit protection performance and biodegradability under real-world conditions, with the aim of scaling up for wider agricultural use.
At VNF, sustainable innovation is considered meaningful only when it is applied in the field, where farmers can observe tangible benefits alongside environmental improvements.
VNF sincerely thanks UNDP in Việt Nam, BSSC, IBP and partners across the innovation ecosystem for recognizing and supporting this initiative. Read the full UNDP Viet Nam publication here: