Ben Tre Tobacco Company Limited was established in 1988, formerly was Ben Tre Tobacco enterprise, belonging to People’s Committee of Ben Tre town. After 15 years of operation and development, the Company has been transferred to be under Vietnam Tobacco Company. In 2005, the Company was officially named Ben Tre Tobacco Company Ltd.,, operating with capacity of 1000 -1500 ton fiber cigarettes/year; 60 -81million packs of cigarettes/year with total employees of 295 persons. Main activities of company are producing and trading cigarettes for the demand of local and outside provincial markets.
Before conducting CP, environmental pollution by water and air pollution is seriuos problem in Ben Tre Tobacco Limited Company. Air pollution at the Ben Tre tobacco originated from the vacuum humidifying, cutting, and drying processes. The main constituents of air emissions emitted from these processes are steam, dust, volatile organic compounds which have typical odor such as Nicotin, Nicotellin, Nicotein, nicotiminm Nicotysin, Nicotoin, Anabasin (Nicotin is a major component in VOCs), and tobacco wax, Citric acid, Oxalic acid, and Pyridin. CO content in air pollution (2100 ppm) was 2 times higher than the permitted limit (1000ppm). Industrial wastewater was mainly originated from vacuum humidifying process. The wastewater included suspended solids and tobacco dust, especially nicotine that increases the COD value ((3.760 mgO2/l) 4.5 times higher than the national standard. For solving these problems, in 2008, the company received the support from the Ministry of Industry and Trade via the Cleaner Production in Industry Component (CPI) to conduct Cleaner Production Assessment and Application
Under the supporting of Ben Tre Industry and Trade Department, in 2008 the Company established a CP team led by Mr. Nguyen Tan Phuoc – Deputy Director of the company and other 10 members to assess the whole production line. After the Cleaner production assessment (CPA) and identification of waste streams, the Team has conducted mass and energy balances for the whole production line. All collected data have been used to analyze and identify Cleaner Production options for each production step.
After conducting CPA and identifying improvement options, the Company has carried out some no-cost and low-cost good housekeeping options with a total budget of VND 485 millions. Such application has brought about VND 507 million each year. In the second phase (from January 2009), the Company has actively implemented high-investment options to improve the product quality and solve completely the environmental issues at place, specifically investing VND 5.6 billion for improving steam distribution (including: replacement of the steam pipe, pipe recovery, condensate tank, steam trap), construct air pollution and waste water treatment system, upgrade of tobacco processing workshop. Benefits from those solutions are 247 million dong per year by reducing raw material consumption and increasing productivity, reducing labor.
Particular benefits derived from Cleaner Production are as follows:
| Technical benefit | Economic benefit | Environmental benefit |
| Phase 1: | ||
| Reduction 15.1% of FO consumption/ton fiber tobacco | Annual saving of VND 162 millions | Reduction of 900000 m3 exhaust fumes into environmental Treatment absolutely wastewater pollution Improvement working conditions and energy saving Creation comfortable environment for workers |
| Reduction 16.2% of FO consumption/ton stem tobacco | Annual saving of VND 57 millions | |
| Reduction 6.2% of electricity consumption at packing workshop/50000 cigarettes | Annual saving of VND 28 millions | |
| Phase 2: | ||
| Reduction 18.5% of FO consumption/ton fiber tobacco | Annual saving of VND 262 millions | |
| Reduction 18.5% of FO consumption/ton stem tobacco | Annual saving of VND 90 millions | |
| Reduction 15.3% of electricity consumption at conjugate workshop/50000 cigarettes | Annual saving of VND 111 millions | |
| Reduction 4.9% of electricity consumption at cigarette making workshop/50000 cigarettes | Annual saving of VND 16 billions | |
| Reduction 7.5% of electricity consumption at packing workshop/50000 cigarettes | Annual saving of VND 37 millions | |
Typical Cleaner Production options of the Company are as follows:
| No. | CP Option | Investment | Performance | CP technique |
| 1 | Manage supplied oil and used oil | No cost | Saving of VND 119 millions and reduction 291,550 m3 exhaust fumes | GH |
| 2 | Fit a monitoring equipment for supplying water for steam boiler | VND 8.1 millions | GH | |
| 3 | Equip excessive oxygen monitoring equipment to check periodically | VND 32.6 millions | EC | |
| 4 | Use the monitoring table to monitor the performance of steam boiler | No cost | GH | |
| 5 | Manage, monitor tobacco fibre and steam ratio used at tobacco processing workshop | No cost | GH | |
| 6 | Replace fluorescent lamp T10 + old type magnetic ballast by fluorescent lamp T8 + electric ballast | 18.million dong | Saving of VND 12 millions, improving working environmental conditions and energy saving | EC |
| 7 | Replace high pressure mercury light to high capacity compact light | VND 15 millions | Saving of VND 7 millions, improving working environmental conditions and energy saving | EC |
| 8 | Combine and control optimal operating pressure, set up maximum operating pressure at 6.2 bar | VND 2 millions | Saving of VND 37 millions | PC |
| 9 | Monitor electricity consumption at four workshops: tobacco processing workshop, cigarette making workshop, cigarette filter workshop, cigarette packing workshop | VND 46.8 millions- | Saving of VND 293 millions | EC |
| 10 | Improving the cigarette blowing system to sucking system (vacuum suction) | VND 105 millions | Saving of VND 30 millions | EC |
| Improve steam distribution (including: replacement of the steam pipe, pipe recovery, condensate tank, steam trap) | VND 552 millions | Saving of VND 247 millions/year and reduction exhaust fumes | EC | |
| Construct air pollution treatment system | VND 3.1 billions | Markedly improving air quality (smell) in working environment and around the company | EC | |
| Construct wastewater treatment system | VND 1.5 billions | Treatment absolutely wastewater pollution | EOP |
Remarks: GH: Good Housekeeping; EC: Equipment Change; PC: Process Control, OR: Onsite Recovery
Perceiving the benefits from CP application, the company insisted to maintain the CP team activities and integrate CP in the general management system at place. In order to facilitate CP application, a simple environmental management system has been developed. The Company has also set up environmental policy, whereby it is requested that the environmental protection law and other regulations should be followed strictly, ensuring the sustainable development of the company and reducing waste emission sources. The Company has integrated process management system with the environmental management system, therefore, energy and material consumption is monitored at the same time with the monitoring of pollutant parameters in the waste streams. A sample system and legal procedures are built and applied for environment data collection, checking, classification and data analysis.
An environmental monitoring plan has been initiated. The aim of the plan is to monitor significant improvements from applying CP or to adjust if there is any reduction in environmental benefits. Environment monitoring system includes monitoring air quality and wastewater.
CP not only brings about benefits from energy saving, emission minimization, reduced water consumption, but also helps the Company increase production, improve product quality, and prove prestige. The implemented CP options at the Company are a typical case study for enterprises in the sector of tobacco production in Vietnam./.