The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on Nov. 27 officially launched a campaign to reduce energy consumption by industrial sectors and State agencies.

The campaign, which will run until 2015, aims to cut national energy consumption by 5-8 percent, said the organiser.

With technical support from the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam and International Finance Corporation, the campaign will focus on raising awareness and supporting key energy consumers in making improvements.

"MoIT considers the campaign to be one of the focuses of the National Programme on Energy Efficiency, as it is necessary to fulfill Vietnam 's goal of building a green economy," said Tran Tuan Anh, deputy minister of MoIT.

Danish Ambassador John Nielsen added: "I believe a concerted effort between State agencies and the business sector can improve energy efficiency, bring higher revenues for companies and contribute to more sustainable economic growth in Vietnam as well as the global fight against climate change."

Within the campaign's framework, a variety of business-oriented communication activities will be carried out to raise companies' awareness of energy efficiency benefits such as reductions in production costs, enhanced competitiveness and improvements in prestige and image.

Participating companies will be provided with technical assistance on energy audits and access to various financial resources, both direct government funding and funding from local financial institutions which have energy efficiency financing programmes.

"More and more companies are now realising that energy efficiency and cleaner production bring them not only direct economic benefits, but also help reduce their environmental footprint and enhance their reputation in the market," said Simon Andrews, IFC regional manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.-VNA