Smart Refill — a product developed by the GreenTech spin-off company under Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) — attracted significant attention from the scientific community, businesses, and customers during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Government Decree establishing VNU and the 117th anniversary of its academic tradition.
On December 10, 2023, VNU held a grand ceremony in Hòa Lạc to commemorate these milestones. The event was attended by senior Party and government leaders, including Đỗ Văn Chiến, Nguyễn Thúy Anh, Đào Ngọc Dung, Nguyễn Kim Sơn, Huỳnh Thành Đạt, Đào Hồng Lan, Hầu A Lềnh, Phạm Tất Thắng, Vũ Hải Quân, and Lương Quốc Đoàn, along with leaders from various ministries, agencies, local authorities, businesses, universities, research institutes, foreign embassies, and international organizations.
Representatives from VNU included the university leadership, heads of offices and functional departments, directors of member units, as well as generations of scientists, educators, administrators, students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates.
Over the past years, VNU has been a leader in technology development, entrepreneurship, and knowledge transfer, contributing to sustainable regional development and local partnerships. Its strategic vision is to evolve into a research-oriented and innovation-driven university. Currently, 36 strong research groups have been recognized at the VNU level, playing a key role in shaping advanced research directions, nurturing talent through personalized training approaches, and promoting international publications and innovation activities.
Collaboration is a hallmark of this research-university model. VNU has signed numerous cooperation agreements with ministries, sectors, and economic corporations, and effectively implemented public–private partnership models to enhance training effectiveness and support major science and technology initiatives. Successful pilot initiatives include joint schools and research centers. The School of Business and Management (HSB) is a typical example of VNU–enterprise cooperation. VNU has also established units that support startups and knowledge transfer, and has developed science and technology enterprises and spin-off companies.
Greentech Green Technology JSC is a spin-off enterprise founded by scientists from the Department of Climate Change and Sustainability Science and the Center for Science, Technology and Training Support at the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Sciences. With a mission to foster a sustainable “green lifestyle” among Vietnamese people using modern technology, and with a core value focused on research and digital innovation for a sustainable green transition, Greentech envisions itself as a “Made in Vietnam” green technology spin-off. By 2025, it aims to establish a network of green consumption hubs across several regions in Vietnam.
At the anniversary event, GreenTech showcased its spin-off products, including NFC and RFID technologies that accelerate digital consumption for green transformation; Green Smart Bungalow, a smart eco-living unit; Green Smart Coffee, a mobile automatic coffee system; Smart Refill, an innovative solution promoting green consumption and reducing plastic packaging waste; and Biocover, a bioplastic packaging solution designed to replace traditional plastic packaging in Vietnam and neighboring countries.
Smart Refill technology pioneering green consumption habits and reducing plastic waste.
The solar-powered automated liquid dispensing system, developed by experts from the Department of Climate Change and Sustainability Science, integrates the Smart Refill software — an IoT-enabled “green consumption management” platform. This combination fosters eco-friendly consumption habits by enabling users to interact with and utilize refill stations efficiently.
Smart Refill helps reduce plastic packaging waste by enabling consumer goods companies (e.g., floor cleaners, dishwashing liquids, detergents) to deliver their products directly to consumers via automated refill stations. Using IoT technology, the system personalizes services based on customer needs while ensuring supply chain traceability and management.
The conclusion of the exhibition opened up many opportunities for Smart Refill. GreenTech spin-off plans to develop detailed strategies to bring the product into widespread use, contributing to the formation of green consumption habits, reducing plastic waste, and laying the foundation for carbon credit markets in Vietnam with green technologies developed by VNU.
Smart Refill is a solar-powered liquid refill station that allows users to use personal water bottles or paper cups, significantly reducing plastic waste. Compact, lightweight, and mobile, the unit includes a solar panel canopy, can store up to 600 products and dispense 500 liters of beverages, meeting hygiene and quality standards of leading beverage brands.
- Cooling system: adjustable from 4°C to 25°C
- Operating voltage: 220–240V, 60/50Hz
- Power: 370W
- Touchscreen: 7”
- Payment system: cash (denominations: 5,000; 10,000; 20,000; 50,000 VND), QR code via Vnpay, RFID card payments.
The project supports companies in fulfilling their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations as required by Decree No. 08 under the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, which took effect on January 1, 2024. It also encourages the community to reduce or reuse product packaging, fostering new consumption habits in Vietnam. Most importantly, it lays the groundwork for a new business model — the green supply chain — in the context of Vietnam’s emerging green and circular economy.
Source: 3sr.org