Speaking at the workshop, USAID representative said: Energy costs account for about 15% of the total cost of textile enterprises. The global textile industry is developing strongly. Using green, clean and renewable energy technology is becoming indispensable trend, bringing practical effects for enterprises. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam has also assessed that the application of technology with low emission and energy saving can reduce the cost of the textile industry by 30%. By the same token, Vietnam's textile industry may reduce $ 1 billion in energy costs each year, thereby significantly increasing its economic efficiency and competitiveness in the market.

"USAID wishes to continue working with Vitas to further disseminate energy and financial technologies and solutions that help textile enterprises reduce their energy needs while increasing their business efficiency and sustainability of the product, "said Christopher Abrams, director of the Department for Environment and Social Development, USAID.

USAID is currently supporting Vietnam to implement the Low Emission Energy Program to develop a policy and mechanism framework to encourage the development of low-emission energy solutions; attract public and private investment in renewable energy development; use energy efficiently in the industry. The program is divided into three components: Building a Low Emission Energy Strategy; Developing renewable energy; Applying economical and efficient energy solutions in industry and complying with relevant regulations.

Nguyen Thanh Ha, Head of the Component 3, USAID, said that textile enterprises have many product lines and production stages, which consume many kinds of energy such as coal and compressed air. That power is mostly. The program will assist businesses in accessing advanced manufacturing technology, renewable energy or waste-using equipment of the industry to generate energy. Specifically, the program is expected to support 50 energy saving investment projects t for businesses in the industry, including textile enterprises; Training to improve the capacity of enterprise staffs, etc.

Appreciating USAID's cooperation and support, Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, said that production cost is a weakness of Vietnamese textile enterprises. One reason is that the majority of domestic textile enterprises are small and medium-sized with limited financial capacity, thus maintaining the old energy-intensive production system. At present, 50% of textile dyeing equipment are old machines before 1996.

In the context of the forthcoming 4.0 Industrial Revolution, the application of automated, energy-saving technologies in production is imperative. However, the perception of enterprises in this regard is very sketchy.

In order to achieve the expectation of the Program, as well as helping domestic textile enterprises improve their capacity and reduce production costs, Vu Duc Giang also suggested that the State create conditions for business cooperation with scientists, credit institutions to access capital, science and technology on power saving. Agreement among state management agencies facilitates enterprises not only in operation, but also in input material problem for the boiler system.

At the same time, businesses need to change their thinking about energy saving in reducing production cost, especially in the context of Vietnam's energy costs are nearly two times higher than some countries in region.