Reducing the environmental pollution

The Mekong (Cuu Long) Delta has seen a dynamic development in the field of industry. Hundreds of industrial parks and thousands of production facilities have been established. However, vigorous industrial development has put a heavy burden on this region’s environment, especially water and air pollution.

Cleaner Production Component in Industry (the Component for Cleaner Production in Industry is a part of the Program of Development Cooperation in the Environment between the governments of Vietnam and Denmark for 2005-2010), one of efficient methods that bring economic benefits to businesses, reduce the environmental pollution and lower production costs allows business to access advanced technology in terms of the environment protection. Application of cleaner production methods help businesses strengthen their foothold on the market and improve their product competitiveness.


Since 2005, the Cleaner Production Component in Industry sponsored by the Denmark Danida Fellowship Center has gained encouraging achievements. As one of five targeted provinces, Ben Tre chose the Thanh Vinh Coconut Processing Factory to take part in the component. The factory has implemented 15 methods divided into two stages.

At the first stage, the factory has applied some cleaner production methods including strictly managing steam use, properly rearranging valves and effectively using lighting system.

These methods have helped the factory reduce 1.7cu.m supplied water and 1.7cu.m waste water when producing one tonne of products. Each day, 50kg of coconut pulp is collected to produce by-products. Each year, by-products from coconut pulp bring VND21 million. In addition, these methods reduce 45kg of waste and 95 percent of rice husks which are lost when being transported per day.

In the second stage, four cleaner production methods have been applied including withdrawing and recycling condensate water, using coconut shell instead of rice husks to fuel boilers (charcoal from coconut shell can be utilized) , building an intensive waste treatment system and improving production facilities to meet ISO (International Standard Organization) 22000:2005 quality standards. These methods have helped the company improve product quality to meet clients’ demands and match appropriate authorities’ regulations. In addition, cleaner production methods have contributed to raising competitiveness of Vietnamese coconut pulp in the international market.

Cleaner production methods need to be applied widely

Apart from Ben Tre Province, many production facilities in provinces of Tra Vinh, Long An and Tien Giang have taken part in the Component of Cleaner Production. Danina sponsorship for the component will come to an end in 2011. Therefore, from September 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has drawn strategies on cleaner production. The strategies have been approved by the Prime Minister. Accordingly, provinces will carry out the strategies.

According to Tran Van Dau, the deputy director of Ben Tre Province Department of Industry and Trade, since the province was chosen to take part in the component, the province has seen encouraging results in cleaner production. Businesses, departments and agencies have become familiar with the concept of cleaner production through seminars, leave lefts and different mass media means. In addition, thanks to communication activities on cleaner production, businesses are aware of advantages of cleaner production methods which bring economic benefits to businesses and protect the environment. However, many businesses in Ben Tre are still afraid of changes and do not dare to invest in cleaner production.

In Soc Trang Province, according to Tran Thanh Nghiep, the vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, application of cleaner production in industry will contribute to the environmental protection strategies by the government and increase businesses’ sense of responsibility in implementing the Politburo’s Resolution on the environment protection. In late 2005, there were 5,888 industrial production facilities. This figure rises to nearly 7,000 at present.

Increase of the number of industrial production leads to increase of the environment pollution. To solve this situation, most of agricultural product and seafood processing factories in the province are striving to build waste water treatment system to match regulations on the environment protection.

However, there are few production facilities taking part in cleaner production in the country. In five provinces which are taking part in the Component of Cleaner Production, there are just 57 cleaner production projects carried out by businesses. Cleaner production activities focus on communicating information to raise businesses’ awareness of cleaner production, performing technical models on cleaner production to attract more businesses to take part in the component, training human resources and strengthening national capacity of cleaner production.

The number of businesses taking part in cleaner production is so humble compared to the total number of businesses in the country. Cleaner production has a lot of difficulties including lacking businesses commitments to carry out cleaner production strategies, experts in the field of cleaner production in different industries, information of advanced technologies for cleaner production, information of economic methods of cleaner production, capital to carry out cleaner production methods and particularly legal regulation system that encourages businesses to take part in cleaner production. In addition, the costs of cleaner production methods (including the environmental costs) are not calculated carefully.

Furthermore, although the government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have approved the National Strategy on Cleaner Production in Industry, cleaner production is still considered as a short-term project rather than a continuous strategy by businesses.

According to Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, a specialist from the Department of Science and Industry under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, cleaner production methods should be taken continuously and systematically. However, Vietnamese businesses are not aware of this. Technical guidelines on cleaner production should be adjusted to match Vietnamese businesses and there should be different guidelines for different types of businesses.