Textile and garment businesses are proactively transitioning to green practices.

The requirement for green standards in products and production is forcing domestic textile and garment businesses to transform in order to maintain their position in the export market.

The story of a pioneering enterprise

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Hai, Head of Sustainable Development at Bac Giang Garment Corporation (LGG), like other export garment businesses, LGG is part of the global garment supply chain. The greening standards set by importers are becoming increasingly stringent, requiring a higher level of awareness and responsibility from businesses towards the environment and society.

From the very beginning of the project, the company focused on investing in and building a solar energy system, utilizing renewable energy sources. Currently, 40% of the factory's electricity consumption comes from solar energy.

The application of modern technology is a crucial factor in driving the green transformation process of textile and garment businesses. Photo: Hai Linh

In addition, LGG also employs energy-saving measures, such as converting the entire old fluorescent lighting system to LED lighting, implementing energy-saving policies to disseminate to all staff and workers, switching from coal-fired boilers to clean biomass-fueled boilers, using more environmentally friendly chemicals that ensure worker safety, and reusing the factory's wastewater.

The factory also focuses on evaluating global recycling certifications, recycled material usage certifications, responsible feather certifications, and numerous other social responsibility certifications required by customers during their participation in the supply chain, along with a range of employee awareness-raising activities.

“ When participating in the green supply chain and carrying out activities related to green and sustainable development, the first benefit we noticed was that the business saved a lot of costs. At the same time, the level of recognition and the position of the business were improved, and its competitiveness compared to other businesses was also highly appreciated by customers ,” Ms. Hai said.

Not only LGG, but also other domestic textile and garment businesses have actively and proactively embraced green transformation in production, facing the demands for sustainable growth from importing markets. Notable examples include May 10, May Phong Phu, May Viet Tien, and May Duc Giang…

Regarding May 10, Mr. Than Duc Viet - General Director of May 10 Corporation - said that in the past 3 years, May 10 has implemented many green production activities such as investing in modern machinery and equipment that use less electricity; investing in solar energy systems and rooftop solar power; linking production chains in Vietnam and abroad to use as many recycled and natural products as possible…

“ Greening production is no longer a matter of choice but has become a mandatory requirement for businesses to aim for sustainable exports. Even in the production process, input fuels burned using coal are being converted to biomass-based power generation to ensure minimal carbon emissions. It is expected that, in 2024, if the entire May 10 project becomes operational, it will help reduce carbon emissions by more than 20,000 tons ,” Mr. Viet emphasized.

Overcoming challenges to achieve long-term goals.

Despite proactively adopting green practices in production and business, enterprises, even large-scale ones, still face numerous challenges in this area.

Ms. Hai identified that the first challenge for businesses is capital. Investment in green development projects requires significant capital; for example, solar energy systems, wastewater treatment systems, or systems utilizing recycled materials all require substantial funding.

The second difficulty is the limited technical skills and technological capabilities of the workforce, especially in new fields such as renewable energy, solar energy, and wind power.

The third challenge is providing specific guidance and steps from government agencies to businesses, so that businesses have clear roadmaps for achieving green goals.

From the perspective of a consulting firm, Mr. Le Xuan Thinh - Director of Vietnam Cleaner Production Center Co., Ltd. - pointed out that the green transformation of textile and garment businesses also faces many challenges. In particular, while functional agencies have developed policies in this field, specific guidelines and standards are currently lacking, causing businesses to struggle with implementation.

In addition, while financial institutions and banks provide green financing, most small and medium-sized textile and garment businesses in the value chain face difficulties in building financial profiles to access this funding.

To help domestic textile and garment businesses overcome these difficulties and accelerate their green transformation, Mr. Thinh proposed that, regarding policy, while there is already the Environmental Protection Law accompanied by decrees and circulars guiding its implementation, there are still no specific standards, such as green standards for the textile and garment industry, or a lack of guidance documents for businesses to implement the roadmap. In addition, there is a need for incentives in terms of financial mechanisms, such as preferential treatment in capital, taxes, and access to science and technology for businesses implementing green initiatives.

Support is needed, especially from industry associations, to build a workforce for the green transition process.

From the business perspective, it is essential to prepare a roadmap towards green transformation. This roadmap, in addition to being within their capabilities, must demonstrate a strong commitment to implementation from leadership to employees.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/doanh-nghiep-det-may-chu-dong-chuyen-doi-xanh-355683.html