Solid Waste Management in the Footwear Industry: An Implication for Circular Economy in Vietnam

Abstract:

With the rapid growth and industrial expansion of the footwear sector in Vietnam over the past three decades, the issue of solid waste management (SWM) has become increasingly critical. Footwear production generates a amount of leather, rubber, and fabric waste. There is only 0.8% of SW final treatment reused or recycled through closed-loop systems, 88.8% is incinerated with energy recovery and 7.7% is downcycled into lower-value materials. This highlights the urgent need to implement circular economy (CE) strategies in the footwear sector. This article employs the DPSIR (Driving - Force - Pressure - State - Impact - Response) framework to evaluate the impact of CE strategies on SWM in footwear manufacturing. And this term integrates the 3Rs principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) with material substitution, waste segregation, and closed-loop supply chain management. The module framework profiles how market dynamics, waste generation pressures, and regulatory gaps interact with environmental outcomes and policy responses. If applying this integrated approach, the sector could obtain significant benefits: a reduction of 756 tons of CO₂e emissions in 2024 and an estimated savings of over USD 1174,474 in external health and environmental costs. These consequences confirm that CE adoption not only enhances resource efficiency but also improves cost effectiveness for enterprises. Government support through policy enforcement and financial incentives are also critical to the sustainable production and effective waste management in the footwear industry.

• Periodical: Engineering Headway (Volume 40)
• Pages: 121-134
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-bSQ7m5
• Online since: July 2026
• Authors: Wang Shih Chun*, Nguyen Duy Thao Uyen, Vo Le Phu
• Keywords: Circular Economy, Footwear, Solid Waste Management

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