There are increasingly strict regulations from export markets and brands on greening production and supply chains, as well as sustainable development criteria. This forces Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises to improve their greening process more strongly.

Going green is not only the responsibility of each business, but the whole industry needs to participate to create a green business community and build a sustainable supply chain image in the eyes of consumers and international buyers.

Going Green to Enhance Competition

Faced with the need for sustainability and competition, Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises are making efforts to transform green. Mr. Tran Nhu Tung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thanh Cong Textile - Investment - Trading Joint Stock Company (TCM), said that TCM quickly started greening production 7-8 years ago before receiving signals from clients.

TCM's Greening Measures:

• Established R&BD Center to produce environmentally friendly fabrics and recycled fabrics.
• Installed solar power systems at factories.
• Used a water circulation system for wastewater treatment.
• Changed boiler fuel from coal to Bio-mass biomass or electric boiler.

In addition, TCM also focuses on social policies, ensuring a good working environment for workers. This helps TCM enjoy preferential tariffs in exports under the CPTPP Agreement and the EVFTA Agreement thanks to the closed production process from yarn - weaving/knitting - dyeing - sewing.

VitaJean's Greening Measures:

• Installed solar power on the factory roof.
• Selected environmentally friendly and reusable fabric materials.
• Applied EU automatic cutting, laser, nano dyeing and washing technology.

Investing in modern technology helps VitaJean achieve Oeko-Tex certification and reduce production costs, improving competitiveness.

Decathlon Vietnam: Greening Investment Process

Decathlon Vietnam, the group's second largest manufacturer, has also invested heavily in renewable energy, reducing CO2 and eliminating coal use. The group is aiming to use at least 70% local sustainable ingredients to the tune of $1 million.

Create a Green Business Community

To better meet requirements from the international market and regain growth momentum for the textile and garment industry, green transformation in parallel with applying the circular economy model is an inevitable trend. This trend is forming new rules of the game in trade and investment globally.

Greening not only helps improve competitiveness but also creates many opportunities to participate in the global supply chain. However, building the "green textile" brand of the entire industry is very important to take full advantage of this advantage.

Applying green production processes helps enhance business image and create trust with customers. However, for small businesses to be able to invest in greening, support from appropriate regulatory and policy agencies is needed. Only when there is a strong green business community can the Vietnamese textile and garment industry develop sustainably and compete in the international market.