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Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged businesses to pay greater attention to sustainable development amid deepening global integration and growing competition.

He was speaking at the Viet Nam Corporate Sustainability Forum 2015 in Hanoi.

The forum, jointly held by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the British Council, updated businesses on new sustainability themes and trends, and discussed models and solutions for such development.

Dam said Vietnam’s business community needs a vision to establish and maintain a stable socio-economic development for the country, warning that many firms had yet to pay adequate attention to the issue.

Businesses should know their strengths and bring their advantages into play to secure a firm foothold in the market and develop their businesses. They should also actively seek new ways to benefit from global sustainability trends, he urged.

“Improving the business climate is critical for sustainable economic development,” Dam said at the forum, adding that factors that lead to fair competition and access to resources must be encouraged.

Dam emphasised the government’s commitment to supporting the business community’s improvement in productivity, competitiveness and sustainable development, as demonstrated by the promulgation of Resolution 19.

Experts at the forum pointed out that an advantageous business environment was among many key factors needed to create a harmony between growth and sustainable development. They added that other important components were human factors such as social and environmental issues.

Vorapong Vorasuntharosoth, co-chairman of the Viet Nam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), stressed the need to develop a measurement tool to track the efforts of businesses in sustainable development, quoted by the Voice of Viet Nam.

He added that VBCSD was planning to build a set of indices for sustainable corporate development that are in line with Viet Nam’s political and social situation, as well as international benchmarks for concerned parties in business, government, investment and the public.

Le Luong Minh, Asean general-secretary, stressed the role of business in building a sustainable Asean economic community, adding that through social responsibilities, business could contribute to and enhance sustainable development, social welfare, social equality and environment sustainability. —VNS/ANN

 

Nestle plans ‘zero water’ plants in dry California

Nestle is investing in innovative technology to help reduce the amount of water it uses in California at the five water bottling plants and four facilities where food or petcare products are manufactured.

“Technology we have already deployed successfully elsewhere in the world, to help address the challenges of water scarcity, will improve our water use efficiency, relieving pressure on California’s water resources,” says Nestle’s head of operations Jose Lopez.

Last year in Mexico, Nestle opened its first ‘zero water’ plant, which extracts all the water it needs from milk used to manufacture dairy products.

Work is underway to transform the Nestle USA milk factory in the city of Modesto into a ‘zero water’ factory, meaning the plant will not use any local freshwater resources for its operations.

The project should save nearly 63 million gallons (238,000 cubic metres) of water each year, equivalent to 71 per cent of absolute withdrawals in 2014.

Around $7 million (Bt236 million) has been invested in the project, which is due to be completed by the end of 2016.

At the Nestle USA factories in Bakersfield and Tulare, savings of more than 100,000 cubic metres of water each year have been identified, potentially reducing the plants’ absolute annual withdrawals by 12 per cent compared to 2014 levels.

And planned investment this year in conservation measures to reduce the amount of water used in Nestle Waters’ bottling plants in California are projected to save 208,000 cubic metres of water a year, a reduction of nearly 8 per cent compared to 2014 levels.

Further measures to reduce potential water wastage at these plants are under consideration, and as these are identified there will be further updates.

Tesco Lotus aims for low-carbon stores nationwide

The latest, Tesco Lotus Express Navamintr, has been certified as a carbon neutral store by having completely offset its carbon emissions to zero.

The store has achieved this with major investments in energy conservation, while it has also encouraged its customers to be aware of global warming. The store is set to be an energy-saving prototype in retrofitting all Tesco Lotus Express stores nationwide.

Tesco Lotus head of external communications and sustainability, Charkrit Direkwattanachai, said that Tesco Lotus had a consistent policy of responsibility to society and environment in operating its business, with the expectation of continuously reducing carbon emissions from its business.

Tesco Lotus was the first Thai retailer to build three “Green Stores.” The company has announced that Tesco Lotus Express Navamintr has been certified as a carbon neutral store by Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation.

“Tesco Lotus Express Navamintr represents investment in many carbon-reducing systems, such as LED lighting, windows to increase natural light, compressors to maximise chiller capacity, doors to prevent air-conditioning leakage, fans to maximise air-conditioning capacity, and otherwise optimising air-conditioner use. Carbon credits were purchased to offset the store’s carbon dioxide emissions to zero; hence, the store has now been certified as “Carbon Neutral.”

All the various initiatives’ installation at Tesco Lotus Express Navamintr took over two years, and reduced its emissions from 162 tonnes of carbon per year to just 99 tonnes, which were then offset by carbon credits to zero. Tesco Lotus has also increased the store’s efficiency in reducing carbon emissions by making Tesco Lotus Express Navamintr a “plastic bag-free” store. Customers using reusable bags instead of plastic bags have reduced 260,000 plastic bags per year. The store is also preparing a bicycle parking area to encourage customers to use this carbon-free mode of transport.

Tesco Lotus was the first retailer in Thailand to open its Green Store at Rama I in 2004, using a solar installation on the roof. In 2007, Tesco Lotus opened its second Green Store at Salaya in Nakhon Pathom, which uses wind energy, recycled biogas and biodiesel. In 2011, Tesco Lotus opened Asia’s first Zero Carbon Store in Bangpra, Chonburi. This pioneered use of the latest technology to directly reduce emissions, as well as offsetting emissions by generating renewable energy, has brought the store’s net emissions to zero.