3SR – Green Station – is a pioneering project consisting of a smart retail chain integrated with a smart refill system and a smart recycling system.
3SR – Green Station was founded by Dr. Bùi Thị Thanh Hương. It is a startup that grew out of national innovation and entrepreneurship competitions and was recognized as one of the five most outstanding EdTech Vietnam projects in 2021. It also won third prize in VNU’s Startup Innovation Contest and the “Most Popular Team” award.
3SR is widely known as a green convenience retail point, where Smart Retail provides health-friendly and eco-friendly products.
Customers can purchase items from automated retail stations using cash, QR codes, or RFID/NFC cards, while also contributing to the consumption fund of the station owner.
Smart Refill dispenses liquids (beverages, household chemicals) through similar payment methods (cash, QR code, RFID/NFC card) and also contributes to the operator’s consumption fund.
Sort & Recycling is an automated plastic and paper waste collection station, allowing users to “sell” waste and convert accumulated points into money on their RFID/NFC cards, which can then be used to purchase items at 3SR’s green convenience stores.
The Green Station project is currently piloting an automated waste collection station that sorts waste, calculates its value, and rewards users with points based on weight — anticipating the national regulation requiring waste separation at the source starting January 1, 2025.
At present, 3SR stations are already in operation at schools, hospitals, and densely populated residential areas in Hanoi, helping form waste-sorting habits at the source.
3SR has also been commercialized and now functions as a real-time supply chain management tool for each station, enabling demand forecasting and market trend analysis.
A unique feature of 3SR is its ability to monitor and report real-time data on accumulated carbon and plastic credits at local, regional, and national levels.
This data is a valuable resource and a crucial foundation for developing action plans to achieve Vietnam’s Net Zero 2050 goal.
Recently, Dr. Bùi Thị Thanh Hương and her team presented the 3SR project at the “Plastic Circular Innovation Solutions 2024” competition — “Inspiring Creativity for a Sustainable Environment” — under the name 3SR Green Mini Mart.
The program is organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Unilever Vietnam, the British Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (BritCham), and the Vietnam Science and Technology Startup Fund (SVF).
The initiative seeks to identify and promote innovative solutions in the plastic circular economy value chain, focusing particularly on new approaches that enhance plastic packaging collection, sorting, and recycling — especially soft plastics.
The competition attracted more than 1,000 participants and organizations from various fields and nearly 100 breakthrough ideas and proposals. These not only aimed to improve plastic waste management efficiency but also raised community awareness of the urgency of the issue.
After the evaluation process, the most outstanding projects and ideas were honored with prestigious awards to encourage innovation and growth within the plastic circular economy.
3SR – Green Mini Mart awarded as a Top 20 Plastic Circular Innovation Solution of 2024 – Photo 3
Exhibition area featuring products from the Top 20 teams.
Speaking at the opening of the final round, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Lê Công Thành emphasized that plastic pollution — particularly “white pollution” caused by single-use plastics — is a major environmental challenge for modern society.
He noted that plastic waste is now found everywhere, negatively affecting the environment and deeply impacting urban areas, rural communities, and even the oceans.
“Plastic waste has been and continues to harm wildlife, ecosystems, and human health. This requires timely and decisive action to mitigate these negative impacts,” Lê Công Thành said.
“Proper and rigorous implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will help promote the development of the domestic recycling industry, reduce dependence on imported waste materials, and pave the way for a circular economy in which resources are used efficiently and not wasted,” he added.
The 3SR Green Mini Mart project by Dr. Bùi Thị Thanh Hương and her team was named among the Top 20 outstanding projects in the program. This recognition demonstrates the project’s impact on communities, businesses, and environmental experts, highlighting how waste classification can generate economic value and accelerate the achievement of national waste-sorting goals.
Solutions like 3SR Green Mini Mart are not only highly practical but also reflect a long-term vision for building a circular economy — one that balances economic benefits with sustainable social and environmental impacts.
Beyond its environmental benefits, the project also brings economic advantages. Speaking with Environmental Economics Magazine, Dr. Bùi Thị Thanh Hương shared that the project currently has a total investment of 26 billion VND, of which 21 billion VND is from private sources. Instead of investing the entire amount directly, the project is raising funds from the community. Each investment share is 80 million VND, with an expected payback period of 18–24 months, after which profits will start to flow — mainly from the Smart Refill segment (liquid products such as beverages and household chemicals). Fuji (Japan) is currently collaborating with the project to provide vending and recycling machines.
According to Fergus McBean, First Secretary for Climate and Nature at the British Embassy in Vietnam, the “Plastic Circular Innovation Solutions” program plays an essential role:
“Plastic waste is one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time. It affects not only the state of our oceans and ecosystems but also the prosperity of communities worldwide. The innovation needed to address this challenge must come not only from breakthrough ideas but also from coordinated action between governments, businesses, and individuals.”
Therefore, solutions, ideas, and projects like 3SR are crucial to creating a greener, more sustainable living environment for the future.
Source: Minh Thành