In order not to be excluded from the game by the high environmental and social standards set by the importing markets, Vietnam’s exports need to change their mindset and care about the “green” of supply chains and international trade…
This is the assessment made by experts at the Vietnam Export Promotion Forum 2022 on the topic “Promotion of green exports” organized recently by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in cooperation with Eurocham Vietnam, projects supported by the Government of Switzerland and other stakeholders.
Green consumption is no longer a niche market. (Photo: Internet)
GREEN CONSUMPTION IS NO LONGER A NICHE MARKET
Mr. Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Trade Promotion Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that in the world, especially in Europe in particular, green and clean consumption has become official rather than a niche market.
If green consumption was seen only in the high-end segment in the past, it is now a common requirement across all segments and all markets for imported goods. The nature of the regulations is to ensure that all commodities do not pose risks to the environment, people, and supply chain.
According to Mr.Bartosz Cieleszynski, Deputy Head of the Trade Department, EU Delegation to Vietnam, the EU has committed to open, sustainable, rules-based trade to respond to global challenges but remains competitive. The EU and Vietnam have an excellent tool called the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), specifically the trade and sustainable development chapter of the agreement.
This new generation FTA has great potential to promote green trade and comprehensively support sustainability goals. “Trade for green technologies and sustainable products has become a popular trend in developed countries. Green exports – or more accurately the export of products with a low carbon footprint or environmental products – is a promising path for countries looking to separate economic growth from environmental degradation, ” Mr. Bartosz Cieleszynski emphasized.
In the specific sector, Mr. Truong Dinh Hoe – General Secretary of the Vietnam Seafood Processing and Export Association commented that green transformation is the inevitable trend in the seafood sector. This sector is being planned with the goal of green and environmentally friendly development, reducing exploitation, and increasing farming to protect aquatic resources.
According to Mr. Hoe, pressures of market, policy, competitiveness, and the sensitivity of business managers on environmental issues all have an impact, promoting the application of the green export strategy of seafood processing enterprises. Moreover, the pursuit of a green export strategy has a strong impact on the expected competitive advantage of seafood processing enterprises.
Pursuing a green export strategy with the aim of “greening” products has led customers in foreign markets to be more impressed with the products of the business, and at the same time helped build the “green” image of the business in the market, creating a differentiated competitive advantage in the minds of customers.
The sustainable direction of the business is to promote green exports. (Photo: Internet)
EXPORTS MUST COMPLY WITH THE GREEN STANDARD
Despite being a trend, there are still too many difficulties for businesses to pursue green goals. Mr. Hoe said that the implementation of the agricultural production model in the direction of a green economy has been conducted, but to replicate the model, there are many challenges both objective and subjective.
Currently, small-scale or inexperienced companies in seafood export are still afraid to switch to a green export strategy. Meanwhile, special incentives to support enterprises applying green export strategies have not been implemented to encourage them./.