Green consumer orientation

For over a year now, Nguyen Phan Ngoc Thy, from Ninh Kieu ward, Can Tho city, has been using a reusable shopping bag whenever she goes to the supermarket. Ms. Thy shared: “Not only do I bring a reusable bag when shopping at the supermarket, but I also bring one to traditional markets. This not only helps protect the environment, but I also benefit from shopping, especially at supermarkets through their promotional programs. I believe more and more people will embrace a green lifestyle.”

Over the years, the Ho Chi Minh City Commercial Cooperative Union (Saigon Co.op) has stopped selling non-biodegradable plastic bags, switching to 100% biodegradable and reusable bags; replacing plastic straws, knives, and spoons with sugarcane pulp, paper, rice, and other environmentally friendly materials. Saigon Co.op's supermarket system also prioritizes displaying environmentally friendly products, along with green promotional policies and green brand promotion. Furthermore, it encourages suppliers/partners to transition to green, demonstrated through policies prioritizing green displays, communication, and promotions, especially the annual "Vietnamese Family - Green Ambassador" program. This program helps consumers identify and prioritize safe, environmentally friendly products while creating positive pressure for businesses to change and invest in clean products, energy-saving production processes, and reduced plastic waste.

From April 9th, Central Retail Vietnam's nationwide supermarket system (GO!, Tops Market, mini go!) officially completed the transition to using biodegradable bags at checkout counters and food weighing stations. Accordingly, biodegradable bags at the checkout counters of GO!, Tops Market, and mini go! supermarkets will cost from 500 VND per bag. Through this fee, Central Retail Vietnam encourages consumers to contribute to environmental protection by bringing their own bags or using cardboard boxes (provided free of charge by the supermarket) to carry their goods, thus avoiding the cost of reusable shopping bags.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van, Director of Communications at Central Retail Vietnam, stated that this transition, in addition to completely replacing plastic bags at checkout counters across the entire system, also involves the synchronized application of alternative packaging solutions for each retail model. Specifically for the go! mini-supermarket model, the standardization of environmentally friendly packaging at meat, vegetable, and bread counters has been completed, ensuring green standards across all store sizes.

In 2026, LOTTE Mart will launch the "Accompanying for a Green Vietnam" program, running throughout the year. Accordingly, Member customers who make purchases of 300,000 VND or more and bring their own Eco Bag Re-Earth (or reusable bag) will receive 3,000 reward points; Member customers who make purchases of 1 million VND on the monthly "9th L-Day" will receive a free Eco Bag Re-Earth size L…

MM Mega Market's chain of shopping centers stopped providing plastic bags at checkout counters in 2022, helping to reduce the environmental waste by an average of 10 million plastic bags per year.

Greening operations

In addition to its green consumer orientation, Saigon Co.op also implements green operations such as using renewable energy in supermarkets by installing rooftop solar power, optimizing cold storage and display cases with LED lighting solutions instead of fluorescent lights, and reducing the use of single-use plastics. Simultaneously, it has invested in a modern warehouse built to green standards at the Saigon Co.op West warehouse located in the Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park (Ho Chi Minh City). This is the first warehouse system in Vietnam built to green standards with modern equipment, applying advanced technologies from around the world, and built with a "green" logistics model featuring surrounding green spaces, natural daylighting, and an automatic fire prevention and extinguishing system.

Besides switching to 100% biodegradable bags, Central Retail Vietnam has also installed recycling machines (RVMs) for aluminum cans and plastic bottles at GO! shopping malls to encourage customers to participate in waste sorting at source. Currently, Central Retail has installed rooftop solar power systems in 32 supermarkets and hypermarkets nationwide, helping to reduce electricity consumption by an average of about 14%.

By the end of 2025, LOTTE Mart will complete the installation of rooftop solar power systems at 8 shopping malls nationwide, saving approximately VND 13.7 billion annually and reducing CO₂ emissions by 3,041 tons. Notably, in the first quarter of 2026, LOTTE Mart and its partners will complete the deployment of a new solution: the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at LOTTE Mart supermarkets in South Saigon, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Can Tho, Nha Trang, and Vinh. This is an optimal solution for saving energy and costs during peak hours, thanks to its mechanism of storing excess solar power during off-peak hours and releasing it during periods of high electricity prices. Once operational, this solution is estimated to save the company approximately VND 4.3 billion per year.

As a pioneering enterprise in developing a waste sorting system at source, MM Mega Market has developed a system of collection bins for milk cartons, aluminum cans, automatic plastic bottle collection machines, and electronic waste collection bins. MM also collaborates with businesses producing eco-friendly products for distribution within its system, along with solutions to replace single-use plastics. MM has also implemented numerous clean and efficient energy management solutions at its 21 centers nationwide, including a light amplification system from the roof using light ducts and energy-saving LED lighting. In addition, the rooftop solar power system has helped the company save electricity and reduce emissions by more than 5,000 tons of CO2 equivalent into the environment each year… With these strategies, MM Mega Market is committed to achieving net emissions of zero before 2040.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, consumer demand for environmentally friendly products increased by an average of about 15% per year during the 2021-2023 period. Specifically in modern retail systems, sales of products labeled "green" or "sustainable consumption" increased by 40-60% during major marketing campaigns.

Consumer survey results also show that green consumption is shifting from an optional addition to an increasingly clear standard in purchasing decisions. Consumers are not only concerned with product quality, but also focus on safety, traceability, long-term health impacts, and environmental effects. More and more Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay a higher price for "green" products. This places demands not only on consumers but also on businesses to standardize production, ensure transparency in environmental criteria, and optimize costs.