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Environmental protection holds key to sustainable growth, larger profits

HA NOI — The environment must not be sacrificed in the process of production, trade and distribution, business experts say.

Environmental protection is vital to sustainable development and international regulations are non-negotiable for firms seeking export success.

But Government support is needed to help firms learn about and conform to the increasingly strict rules, a seminar on the issue heard late last week.

Some corporate managers give environmental protection top priority, but far too many ignore or try to circumvent international standards.

Thanh Hoa, an official from the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the seminar that most businesses still see environmental protection as a costly burden.

Awareness of domestic and international laws on the issue is not high, particularly among small and medium sized enterprises, she said.

Even strict environmental controls from importers are not enough to popularise the practice, with a number of local firms still polluting or damaging the environment.

Greater awareness and compliance with these rules is vital to Viet Nam’s goal of integration into regional and global economies.

Trade Ministry officials told participants that enterprises in developed nations make a point of using environmentally-friendly technology and have profited from the choice.

In Viet Nam, a cleaner-production project funded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme converted 13 enterprises to a cleaner, greener mode of operation.

The firms were involved in the fields of paper production, dyeing, textiles and foodstuff preparation.

From July 1999 to August 2000, the firms shaved US$770,000 off their production costs and reduced waste water and the production of ozone depleting gases.

Importers are becoming increasingly fastidious about quality and clean production methods.

As a result, exporters are under pressure to achieve environmental protection certification such as ISO 14000.

Viet Nam’s major exports to the US are agricultural, seafood, footwear, garments and textiles and all of these sectors must comply with strict environmental regulations.

Exporters seeking to break into this market must acquire international standards such as hazard analysis at the critical control point (HACCP), the seminar heard.

They must also gather more information about conflict resolution and build their negotiation skills. — VNS