-
 As
a government, we have the responsibility to view CSR from
different angles. The goals of CSR - voluntary adoption of high
environmental and humanitarian standards are excellent. However,
in the past CSR has been manipulated by some to create barriers
to international trade. Thus in my opinion, CSR should not be
forced - it should be voluntary. However, the government will
contribute to CSR by providing information to businesses through
conferences, workshops and working through professional
associations so that businesses can make well-informed
decisions.
There are thousands of different codes of conduct, and it should
be understood that there are two types of CoCs. The first type
are those developed by large, prestigious multinational
companies like Nike, Adidas, etc. which have their own
standards. The second type is those developed by human rights
groups, NGOs or associations and include SA 8000, WRAP, etc.
These two types of CoCs have different goals and bring different
benefits.
Businesses should not "jump on the bandwagon" and obtain CSR
certification that their customers might not require. Instead,
they should take time to interact with potential customers to
gain a better understanding of their specific CoC. For example,
to supply to Nike, it is necessary to fully understand Nike's
CoC.
Above all, businesses should comply with the Vietnamese Labor
Code, because CSR CoCs are not dissimilar to the Labor Code.
There are currently companies that are successfully implementing
20 different CoCs, because [by following the Labor Code] they
are already meeting high standards and thus, have no problems in
meeting the requirements of the various CoCs.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Director General, International
Cooperation Department, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social
Affairs (MOLISA)
-
 Cleaner
production entails systematically evaluating the management and
production processes of a company and then making improvements
that increase productivity and minimize environmental impacts.
Cleaner production does not necessarily mean technology changes.
Cleaner production is a result of changes in awareness, better
management methods, different raw materials and improved
machinery and equipment.
Since its establishment in 1999, the Vietnam Cleaner Production
Center has assisted roughly 90 enterprises nationwide to
implement cleaner production strategies. These include a wide
variety of companies that manufacture textiles, paper, food and
beverages, construction materials and chemicals. Results with
all these enterprises, which vary in size and type of ownership,
show that all have not only saved on production costs but also
reduced water consumption and air and solid waste pollution by
10%-20%. Despite these successes, the approach has not been
widely adopted in Vietnam because enterprises lack awareness of
the benefits they could achieve or they are unwilling to change.
Enterprises need to be convinced that cleaner production can
help them increase their competitiveness.
Ms. Ngo Thi Nga, Vice Director, Vietnam Cleaner Production
Center
Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Hanoi
University of Technology
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