The "key" to sustainable development.

Vietnamese women are a key workforce, making many positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the country, especially in the journey of building a green and sustainable economy.

Efforts to start a green business

Ms. Tran Thi My Hai, who won first prize in the 2024 "Women Entrepreneurs" competition with her project producing fibers and yarns for the textile industry from pandan leaves, shared that after many years of working in textile research, she decided to start a business transforming food waste into materials for everyday life. She has been successful and created her first products such as ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), scarves, and socks.

The unique aspect of Ms. My Hai's startup project is the production of raw pineapple fiber without the use of water. This saves costs and avoids environmental pollution. At the startup competition, many experts expressed surprise at her "green startup" project, and upon visiting the production site and exploring each stage, everyone praised the idea and the project's potential.

"We have successfully designed and arranged a high-productivity raw fiber production machine, especially suitable for women. Currently, no other company in Vietnam has been able to do this because most machinery is designed for men," Ms. My Hai said.

She expects to develop pineapple cultivation on over 52,000 hectares in Vietnam and create jobs for approximately 16,500 female workers nationwide.

Ms. Tran Thi My Hai next to her production machine.

Choosing the path of "green products, green health" in its business development journey, a representative of Traphaco Joint Stock Company stated that from the very beginning, the company's motto has been to focus on developing from green medicinal raw materials to green consumption and green products.

"Our medicinal herbs are grown in Vietnam, following a planned medicinal herb cultivation map that suits the soil conditions and meets world standards for clean medicinal herbs. Harvesting is done in a way that conserves resources. We are creating a harvesting habit that goes hand in hand with sustainable exploitation and development in areas where medicinal herbs are grown," a representative from Tranphaco shared.

In Vietnam, green and sustainable development is a consistent viewpoint of the Vietnamese Party and Government, affirmed in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and concretized in the Government's National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, which includes strategic tasks such as: reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the use of clean and renewable energy; greening production; greening lifestyles and promoting sustainable consumption…

According to plan, Vietnam will host the Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals (P4G) Summit in 2025. Recently, the Prime Minister signed a decision establishing the Organizing Committee for the Summit, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son. The Summit will be a pioneering forum on public-private partnerships for green growth, contributing to promoting cooperation and attracting green finance for developing countries to adapt to climate change and realize the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the General Statistics Office, the percentage of women participating in the labor force is approximately 62.6%. The percentage of female workers in the agricultural sector is 47.4%. In cooperatives alone, this percentage reaches 80%.

The proportion of female directors/owners of businesses and cooperative managers is 28.2%. These figures show that Vietnamese women are the main workforce, making many positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the country.

Supporting women on their journey towards a green economy.

As an organization representing the legitimate rights and interests of women, the Vietnam Women's Union has implemented many practical activities to support women's participation in green economic development.

Many initiatives and ideas on "clean production, clean processing, clean consumption," and the "green living for women" model have been embraced by women nationwide.

Women's Entrepreneurship Day, with the themes "Women and the Future of the Green Economy" in 2019, "Women Entrepreneurs Elevating OCOP Product Brands" in 2022, "Women Entrepreneurs Leveraging Local Resources" in 2023, and "Women Entrepreneurs, Innovation, and Green Transformation" in 2024, was organized and implemented throughout the entire Women's Union system.

This initiative has encouraged women nationwide to participate, including vulnerable groups of women, contributing to the development of a green startup ecosystem.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the demand for green products in Vietnam grew by an average of 15% annually during the 2021-2023 period. Approximately 72% of Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay more for green products. This demonstrates the increasing awareness and concern of the people regarding environmental protection.

Women's associations at all levels also guide and support members and women in building and developing bio-circular-green economic models linked to sustainable agriculture. Models using solar energy to develop livelihoods and models utilizing recycled materials (such as turning waste into health insurance or savings accounts for poor members) have been developed and replicated in many localities.

The association also works closely with the banking sector to support women in accessing green credit for production and business development; and organizes numerous workshops and forums on related topics to propose initiatives and solutions to help women and the community promote the circular economy and green economy.

At recent workshops and forums organized by the Vietnam Women's Union, experts argued that it is necessary to remove gender barriers and stereotypes and encourage women's participation in the green economy to ensure good working conditions for women.

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women need to actively learn, hone their skills, and enhance their research to master knowledge and proactively raise awareness of the need to green the economy; they should promote the application of environmentally friendly production processes and technologies, ensuring that products are of good quality and safe for consumers.

In addition, agencies and organizations are actively supporting and linking products to the market, helping women bring green goods to consumers.

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5 solutions to promote women's development in the green economy.

According to Tran Lan Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union, in the coming time, the Vietnam Women's Union will continue to concretize the State's guidelines and policies on the green economy into practical action programs and plans; and at the same time promote a number of comprehensive solutions such as:

(1) Raising awareness, capacity, and equipping women with knowledge and skills in green economy, aiming to increase green jobs for women;

(2) Strengthen gender mainstreaming in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies, programs and projects on disaster risk reduction, environment and climate change;

(3) Support women in accessing and effectively using green finance, credit and technology, with a focus on researching and designing credit products to provide preferential loan sources, financial support programs for businesses and cooperatives owned and managed by women to access green technology; green consumer loans for women;

(4) Promote women's initiatives in promoting green living culture, green production and business and sustainable consumption;

(5) Strengthen domestic and international connections and cooperation to share experiences and initiatives to promote the role of women in the green economy.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/thuc-day-vai-role-of-women-in-the-green-economy-key-to-sustainable-development-20250204142454636.htm