Before applying Cleaner Production (CP), the Company had frequently faced with environmental pollution due to waste water and solid wastes. The waste waster had some parameters higher than the permissible level: BOD5 was 7.68 times higher, COD was 6.3 times and Coliform was 1.86 times higher than Vietnamese Technical Regulation. Solid wastes included wastes from the slaughtering process: hair, skin, claw. These solid wastes were dumped in the wild land in the factory premises and could cause groundwater pollution. In order to solve that issue, in 2008, the Company has approached to the Cleaner Production in Industry Component (CPI) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
With the support of Phu Tho Department of Industry and Trade and Vietnam Cleaner Production Centre (VNCPC), in 2009, the Company carried out Cleaner Production Assessment at place. In the first phase (from Jan to June 2009), the Company set up a Cleaner Production Team including 4 members and led by Le Kim Tuan Chi - Director of the Company. The Team has conducted a walk-through assessment on the piglet slaughtering line at place. After the assessment and identification of all waste streams, the Team has conducted mass and energy balances for the whole production line. All collected data have been used to analyse and identify Cleaner Production options for each production step.
After conducting CPA and identifying improvement options, the Company carried out some no-cost and low-cost options with total investment of VND 202 millions. After 06 months of implementation, such application has brought about VND 6.6 millions. In the second phase, the Company actively implemented high-investment options to improve product quality and solve completely the environmental issues at place, specifically investing VND 1.9 billions for building tank to recover cold water to use in other ice using processes; introduce curtain at door of freezing store, introduce inverter for the compressors of the freezing system; and investing in biogas system which treat wastewater, viscera, feces and generates biogas used as fuel in production (use gas in thermal process in company). The economic benefit from those solutions was VND 450 millions in 2010 by reducing 120 tons of CO2 per year and 200 to 250 m3 waste water per year.
Particular benefits derived from Cleaner Production are as follows:
| Technical benefit | Economic benefit | Environmental benefit |
| Phase 1 | Improved air environmental quality; Reduced 200 tons of CO2 per year Reduced 550 - 600 m3 waste water per year; Reduced 2 tons SS per year; 5 tons COD; 6.5 tons COD per year Reduced 600 - 800 tons of solid wastes | |
| Annual reduction of 8% electricity consumption | Annual saving of VND 6.6 millions | |
| Annual reduction of 3% water consumption | Annual saving of VND 3.8 millions | |
| Phase 2 | ||
| Annual reduction of 100% coal consumption | Annual saving of VND 13 millions | |
| Annual reduction of 60% of firewood consumption | Annual saving of VND 2.3 millions | |
| Annual reduction of 24% electricity consumption | Annual saving of VND 11 millions | |
| Annual reduction of 30% water consumption | Annual saving of VND 21 millions | |
Typical Cleaner Production options of the Company are as follows:
| No. | CP Option | Investment | Performance | CP technique |
| 1 | Make contracts with suppliers to ensure the stable and high quality of material | No cost | 0.4% reduction of defected products (saving VND 335 millions) | GH |
| 2 | Train and increase awareness of workers in food safety and hygiene. | Low cost | Saving VND 15 millions/year | GH |
| 3 | Repair all damages, breaks in the floors, washing tanks to minimize contamination on surface | VND 5 millions | Increased product quality, hygiene Reduced water loss | GH |
| 4 | Repair leakage of tanks and water pipes. | VND 2 millions | Reduced water loss | GH |
| 5 | Strengthen insulation in freezing store, build the ceiling of the freezing store to minimize the effect of high temperature of the freezing store. | VND 45 millions | GHG reduction | GH |
| 6 | Repair the current steel hooking frame (now rusted) by taking the rust out and painting with rust-resistant or replace by stainless steel frame. | VND 30 millions | 3% reduction of water consumption (annual saving of VND 0.29 millions) | GH - EM |
| 7 | Replace the old washer | VND 2 millions | GHG reduction | TC |
| 8 | Build tank to recover cold water to use in other process | VND 30 millions | Saving of VND 330 millions Air environment improvement; reduction of 200 to 250 m3 wastewater per year | OR |
| 9 | Introduce curtain at door of freezing store | VND 35 millions | EM | |
| 10 | Introduce inverter for the compressors of the freezing system | VND 800 millions | EM |
Remarks: GH: Good Housekeeping; EM: Equipment Modification; TC: Technology Change, PC: Process Control
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.
The 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. The environmental monitoring system covers both air 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, prove prestige. The implemented CP options at the Company are typical case studies for enterprises in the sector of slaughter production in Vietnam./.
