Hanoi (VNA) – Industrial parks’ shift to an ecological model brings many benefits, not only in terms of profit but also in creating competitive advantages, helping them to meet sustainability standards.
The development of green and circular economy is bringing positive results, contributing to major changes in production and business methods of industries in Vietnam, including industrial production and development of industrial parks.
With construction starting in 2008, the Nam Cau Kien IP in the northern city of Hai Phong has developed into an integrated IP serving supporting industries for the ship building industry of Vietnam.
However, Pham Hong Diep, Chairman of Shinec JSC, the developer of the Nam Cau Kien IP, said that the establishment of integrated IPs no longer suits development trends. He said that his firm has defined the target of building a green IP with sustainable infrastructure.
Many localities and infrastructure developers recognise that developing ecological IPs is an essential need to create a sustainable competitive advantage for drawing investment to the sector in Vietnam.
According to an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) by audit firm PWC, Shinec has achieved remarkable results in building Nam Cau Kien following the ecological model. Currently, this IP has more than 1 million trees, accounting for 33% of the total land area.
It boasts an 81.4 kWh rooftop solar power project in operation and a water treatment plant that ensures 25% of wastewater in the industrial park is reused for watering plants and cleaning roads, saving 6 billion VND (244,754 USD) in clean water costs each year.
Diep said that in 2024, Shinec partnered with NX Filtration, a Dutch group, to implement a project to reuse industrial wastewater for production in IPs.
Alongside, the Nam Cau Kien IP has formed three industrial symbiosis chains according to the circular economic model, and brought great value to businesses. Since 2021, businesses in the Nam Cau Kien IP have contributed over 1 trillion VND each year to the State budget, he added.
Pham Van Tuan, Deputy General Director of An Phat Holdings, said that amid the expanding the green growth trend globally, in 2018, his company launched the eco-smart An Phat Complex and An Phat No.1 IPs in the northern province of Hai Duong.
Thanks to the application of the ESG standards, An Phat Complex and An Phat No.1 are among key players in investment attraction in Hai Duong. They have become model IPs with high quality infrastructure, investment environment and sustainable development, thereby creating a breakthrough in local socio-economic development, Tuan said.
Bruno Jaspaert, CEO of Deep C, a company that has operated in Vietnam for six years, said that his company has grown five-fold so far. He attributed the result to its capacity to provide ESG-related services to customers.
Highlighting the benefits of developing ecological IPs, Bui Ngoc Hai, Vice Director of the Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority, said that during the implementation and evaluation process, the Deep C IP has 19 enterprises participating in several solutions in energy saving, clean production and efficient use of resources. This initially saved over 41 billion VND per year. With very clear benefits, the confidence of investors and authorities at all levels in the city has been strengthened, while receiving the consensus of local people.
The ecological direction is a correct pathway, he stressed, adding that Hai Phong will focus on making eco-smart IPs a new competitive advantage for the city./.
