Engineers inspect a production line at a paint factory in the north of Vietnam. The chemical industry has been urged using environment friendly materials in production for sustainable development (Photo courtesy Hương Giang) Chemical industrial manufacturers have been urged to raise awareness andinitiatives for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related to greenchemistry (GC).
Itresulted from the ‘Green Chemistry (GC) and Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR)’ workshop that was recently co-organised by the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) and Vietnam Chemicals Agency of the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade (MOIT) together with the Northern Vietnam Paint and PrintingInk Club.
Research shows that waste prevention is better and costs less than thetreatment or disposal of waste after it has been created. The more wastecompanies generate the more costs they have to bear to deal with theenvironmental, social, and community health consequences.
Usinga GC approach in production and business also sees companies take on moresocial responsibility.
CSRcan be shown in ensuring a safe working environment and equity for women andmen on all levels as well as promoting working opportunities with privacy andsafety for employees.
Itneeds to provide high-quality products made from safe, non-toxic materials at areasonable price, and conduct research and product development to commercialiseinnovative and useful products.
Headof the Climate Change and Environment Unit at UNDP Vietnam Dao Xuan Lai said:“Green chemistry is an inevitable trend being promoted on a global scale, whichhelps us to avoid past mistakes such as the invention and use of DDT or theproduction and use of chemicals containing dioxin, mercury, CFCs, and the like.”
“As Vietnam integrates quickly with the market, and with the regional andglobal economy via bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements,corporations and enterprises need to use the GC approach so that they and theirproducts are better equipped when joining global supply chains.
"This benefits their long-term development and growth, and at the sametime ensures sustainable development for Vietnam and reduces the stress on ourplanet.”
Within the framework of the GC project, funded by UNDP and MOIT, initialsolutions are being implemented with Vietnamese enterprises, including pilotswith Plato Vietnam JSC (electroplating) and Nishu Paint Vietnam to reduce3,472kg of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and 923 cubic metres of carbonemission per year.
The workshop also aimed to collect comments on the need for training toraise awareness and the application of green chemistry in paint andprinting enterprises, as well as share some current situations, solutions,technology, and practices on waste treatment in small and medium-sized paintenterprises.
“Forconsumers to have access to green products, we need green materials, greenmanufacturing, and green construction," said Dang Anh Tu, CEO ofNishu Paint Vietnam, one of the two enterprises performing the GC demonstrationactivities.
"When, and only when, we are aware that green chemistry helps us toprotect our health can we produce sustainable green products.”
Tusaid that by applying green chemistry, Nishu has saved considerable costs: inparticular, the highest monthly electricity bill that this enterprise has everpaid has not exceeded 50 million VND (2,100 USD).
Accordingto Chu Van Nguyen, vice president of the Vietnam Responsible Care Council(VRCC) of Chemical Enterprises, the implementation of CSR activities requiresmany efforts and the voluntary commitment of the leaders and employees of thecompany, as well as support from other enterprises in the industry. Thesevoluntary CSR activities bring companies not only profits, but also trust fromthe market and the community.
The workshop was one of the activities under the project ‘Application of greenchemistry in Vietnam to support green growth and reduction in the use andrelease of POPs/harmful chemicals’, supported by the Global EnvironmentFacility (GEF) and UNDP.
Themain objective of the project is to create a favourable environment forintroducing GC and GC application to the production industry in Vietnam andreduce the use and release of chemicals controlled under the Stockholm andMinamata Conventions./.
VNA
