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(VEN) - In the context of increasingly competitive market and international economic integration, many businesses have renovated technology and applied advanced waste and emission control solutions to improve competitiveness.
Strong in finance and technology and with rich experience, most of foreign direct investment (FDI) businesses take the initiative in applying waste and emission control solutions. Many FDI businesses have had their environment protection efforts recognized and certified by Vietnamese relevant authorities while becoming top payers of taxes to the state budget. They include Ford Vietnam, which was awarded the 2007 Environment Gold Cup by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park Company (VSIP), which gained the Environmentally Friendly Business Award at the 2009 Golden Dragon Award granting ceremony, Sonadezi (Dong Nai), an industrial zone infrastructure investor that not only greatly contributes to socioeconomic development in the local region but also attaches much importance to keeping balance between FDI attraction and environment protection, and more. Sonadezi constructed waste treatment facilities in industrial zones. Sonadezi Bien Hoa is accomplishing required procedures to build new, high quality industrial zones in accordance with Dong Nai province's orientation for environment protection-oriented industrial zone development.
Domestic businesses, including many leading state corporations, renovated technology and applied waste treatment solutions. They include the Pha Lai Thermoelectric Joint Stock Company, which succeeded in splitting mazut oil from wastewater, the Ben Tre Aquaproduct Import Export Joint Stock Company, the Vietnam National Coal, Mineral Industries Group (VINACOMIN), and more.
With assistance from the State and international organizations, small to medium-sized and occupational village-based businesses have changed modes of production and renovated technology to minimize environmental pollution. A strong evidence of this is the great effort by pottery and ceramic production households in Bat Trang commune in Gia Lam district in Hanoi. More than 70 percent of production households in the commune have shifted from coal-burning to gas-running furnaces. This has helped save about 3,000 tonnes of fuel (oil equivalent) and decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 12,000 tonnes each year. Pottery products made with a gas-running furnace have a higher quality and revenue than products of the same kind made with a coal-burning furnace. Specifically, when making the same amount of product, gas-running furnace-based production yields revenue that is 30 percent higher than that of coal-burning furnace-based production.
With assistance from the Ministry of Science and Technology's 'Improving energy efficiency in small to medium-sized businesses' project, over the past five years, hundreds of manual brick-kilns in almost 40 provinces/cities nationwide were transformed into blast furnaces. This transformation contributes greatly to environmental pollution reduction in these localities.
With assistance from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), over the past five years, module 'Cleaner production in industry' of the Ministry of Industry and Trade had demonstration models in 100 businesses in five provinces/cities nationwide, which all obtained encouraging results.
Through applying emission control solutions, many businesses, including Luu Xa Cement Company in Thai Nguyen province, Au Co Rattan, Bamboo and Palm Leaf Ware Company (Quang Nam province), Ngoc Lap Tea Company (Phu Tho province), Song Lam Sugar Company (Nghe An province), Thanh Vinh Coconut Processing Plant (Ben Tre province), and more, have improved their competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets and earned a higher profit while contributing to environment protection.
Environment protection in production facilities is a long, difficult process. Environmentally friendly businesses will become more competitive in the context of international economic integration.
The national strategy for cleaner production, the project to develop the environment industry to 2015 and a related vision to 2025 and the environment protection law will all create a legal framework that promotes effective environment management./.
By Minh Ky
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