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The textile industry is under pressure of 'going green'

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Garment production at Saitex International Dong Nai (VN) Co., Ltd. (Amata Industrial Park, Bien Hoa City) ​

Transform to maintain orders
The textile industry has large export turnover, making an important contribution to the economy. However, this is also the industry causing the most environmental pollution. Therefore, sustainable production and consumption through saving resources, energy, and reducing emissions is an urgent requirement.

Currently, the Government, ministries, departments and Dong Nai province have many programs, plans and commitments towards this goal. It can be mentioned that the National Action Program on sustainable production and consumption for the period 2021-2025 of the Government sets a target of reducing energy consumption by 5-8% by 2025 and 7-10% by 2030; as well as the Prime Minister's commitment to reducing net emissions to zero by 2025 at COP26. In addition, the Action Plan on sustainable production and consumption in industry in Dong Nai province for the period 2022-2025 of the Provincial People's Committee also sets a goal of reducing energy consumption in the textile industry.

Textile and garment is one of six key production and export industries of Dong Nai province. On average, each year, the export turnover of Dong Nai textile industry reaches 1.6-1.8 billion USD.

Deputy Head of the Energy Engineering and Management Division (Department of Industry and Trade) Nguyen Thi Lan said that in the past, the Government, ministries and sectors encouraged the implementation of reducing energy consumption. Currently, this content has been legalized through programs, plans, and the Law on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Le Lien, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said that major markets such as Europe, Japan, and the United States are increasingly raising standards for imported textile and garment products. This means that businesses wanting to keep orders and expand markets must switch to using environmentally friendly materials and chemicals; save energy and water during production; recycle and reuse to minimize emissions into the environment.

Discussing this matter, Associate Professor-Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong (Institute of Environmental Industry, Ho Chi Minh City) analyzed that textile and garment is an industry that uses a lot of energy, raw materials and chemicals, so the amount of waste is extremely high. Regarding water consumption, the industry uses about 93 billion m3 of water/year, equivalent to about 4% of the total global freshwater exploitation. On average, 1kg of garment products consumes 1.5-7kg of different chemicals, with an emission rate is about 5 million tons of CO2/year...

This reality poses a design problem to gradually eliminate factors harmful to humans and the environment, improve resource use efficiency, develop new production materials, and convert to less emission production processes…

“Major brands and markets are tending to cooperate and use environmentally friendly products. Implementing the above solutions is the "key" for businesses to operate more effectively, stabilize orders, thereby increasing profits" - Associate Professor-Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong emphasized. 

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Workshop on sustainable production and consumption of the garment industry organized by the Department of Industry and Trade 

Opportunity to grow

Also according to Associate Professor-Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong, implementing sustainable production during this period has many challenges due to inadequate infrastructure, limited sources of new materials and high prices, recycling technology and reuse has not really developed, consumer demand has decreased due to economic decline... However, if businesses do not start now, it will be difficult to survive.

MSc Nguyen Ngoc Kim Oanh, Head of Sustainable Occupational Safety and Hygiene Department of Saitex International Dong Nai (VN) Co., Ltd. (Amata Industrial Park, Bien Hoa City) shared that the textiles and garments industry is increasingly growing strongly and becoming non-sustainable. The focus on low cost, high quantity, and beautiful designs causes the demand for raw materials, water, energy, and chemicals to increase. As an business that cooperates with many major brands in the world, right from the time of estalishment, the company has considered green factors. Currently, the company's washing factory is the only washing factory in the world with Bluesign international certification - green factory certification. Regarding wastewater, the company invests in a wastewater treatment system according to the following processes: electrolysis, microbiology, RO filtration to reuse up to 98%. Fabric scraps are restored into new products such as pants, bags, carpets... Cotton, fiber, and chemical materials all come from suppliers with international certification on consumer safety.

“The investment cost for sustainable development is huge, sometimes more than the cost saved. However, the company still implemented and as a result, orders were stable even when the epidemic and the world economy faced many challenges. Obtaining certifications helps improve reputation and brand, ensures workers' jobs, and increases business profits" - Ms. Oanh shared.

According to a representative of Samil Vina Co., Ltd. (Long Thanh Industrial Park, Long Thanh District), the textile and dyeing industry specifically uses a lot of energy. Recently, the company has applied many solutions to reduce energy consumption according to customer requirements. However, the percentage of green energy in the product has not been achieved because the procedure for investing in renewable energy systems for production is not easy. Therefore, the business wants the province to propose to the Central Government to soon solve this issue to increase the proportion of green energy, replicate sustainable production models, and promote the development of a circular economy in the textile and garment industry.

Sustainable production and consumption is an inevitable requirement of all industries, not just textiles. Implementing this requirement will help businesses save production costs, protect the environment, and adapt to fluctuations in raw material supply. Furthermore, this is a solution to meet the increasing demands of customers and increase competitiveness. In the early stages, businesses may encounter difficulties in capital, technology, and human resources, but overcoming them will be an opportunity to cooperate and grow. In fact, pioneering enterprises in the direction of sustainable development show that they have more stable and larger orders, better growth and profits. 

Author: Phan Anh

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