In what sector is Hanoi focusing on cleaner production?

Hanoi is focusing on five sectors that include many businesses and have great potential to incorporate cleaner production methods. The industries are food, construction materials and ceramics, electronics, mechanics, textile and garment.

What programs has Hanoi implemented after one year of support from the Cleaner Production in Industry Component (CPI)?

The Hanoi Energy Conservation Center has implemented many activities including communication promotion and training for counseling staff and businesses in Hanoi. For example, two reports were implemented and approximately 10,000 fliers and 500 studies on cleaner production were provided to businesses. In addition, we have held seminars for more than 500 participants from the city’s businesses to promote the initiative and organized training for the district staff of the Department of Industry and Trade to enhance their counseling ability. Sixty businesses in five sectors have participated in our three counseling courses so far.

A website to provide information on cleaner production for businesses will be launched by the end of this year. Besides, ten businesses will receive support for quickly assessing their production situation while 20 planned cattle-poultry slaughterhouses will be assessed for cleaner production application, he added.

What kind of activities has the center implemented to enhance the abilities of counseling staff?

We have organized training courses on cleaner production and have sent a staff to CPI to learn for six months.

In early July, 16 cleaner production staff were assigned to promote the cause throughout the Department of Industry and Trade in Hanoi's districts. In the near future, the center will continuously coordinate with CPI component, the EPRO Company and Tri Tue Viet Joint Stock Company to organize counseling training for the center's staff.

In your opinion, what difficulties have the staff faced promoting cleaner production in Hanoi?

The businesses' poor understanding about cleaner production has been the biggest challenge to counseling staff trying to promote the method. Although Hanoi People's Committee has decided to support 100 percent expenditure for businesses joining in cleaner production program to build their waste water system, few enterprises have paid attention to the offer. Therefore, the center needs to focus on promotion in the near future in order to advertise the economic and environmental benefits of cleaner production to enterprises and enable them to voluntarily join in this program.

What measures has the center taken to encourage food enterprises to apply cleaner production?

The center has focused on planned cattle-poultry slaughter facilities because most of them have applied manual methods and have not paid much attention to waste water treatment, which can relatively impact the environment and food safety. To support them, we assessed 20 poultry slaughter facilities and plan to help them build waste water treatment systems to reduce environment pollution and increase food safety and hygiene./.