Building green industrial foundation for the future

Part 1: Tightening environmental management in IPs

Binh Duong defines the ecological economy as a synergy between industries, with ecological industry playing a central role, based on clean energy, environmentally friendly materials and closed-loop production technologies. To realize this goal, Binh Duong focuses on reorganizing the local industrial production space, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving waste treatment efficiency and gradually transitioning to a high-automation production model…

Sustainable IPs planning

2024 marks a strong shift in the planning and development of industrial parks (Ips) in the province, focusing on linking economic development with environmental protection. According to provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, Binh Duong will have 48-50 IPs by 2050, covering a total area of 25,000 hectares.

So far, Binh Duong has established 29 IPs, including 28 in operation. In terms of construction planning, provincial IPs Management Board is implementing several levels of planning. At the general planning level (1/5000 scale), new IPs are being developed. Particularly, the Dat Cuoc Ip completed its planning, which was approved by provincial People's Committee at the Decision No. 2600/QĐ-UBND on September 10, 2024; the Mechanical Specialization IP (North Tan Uyen IP 1) is in the process of bidding for contractors; Vinh Lap IP is in the planning stage for contractor selection for its planning design. At the detailed planning level (1/2000 scale), Binh Duong has completed the adjustment of the planning for My Phuoc 1 and My Phuoc 2 IPs. Regarding detailed construction planning (1/500 scale), several important projects such as the Vietnam - Singapore III IP (Phase 2) with an area of 803.55 hectares; Cay Truong IP with an area of 700 hectares have been approved and adjustment to the BW Supply Chain City IP of 74.88 hectares has also been implemented to be suitable with new development orientations.

Truong Van Phong, Deputy Head of provincial IPs Management Board stated that environmental infrastructure investment in IPs has always been a priority. So far, all 28 operational IPs of the province have established centralized wastewater treatment systems with a total design capacity of nearly 190,000 cubic meters a day. Most businesses in the IPs have completed wastewater connections and invested in air pollution control systems that meet standards before being discharged into the environment. The Management Board has also proactively advised provincial People's Committee to issue regulations on environmental protection coordination in IPs and is working on developing a set of criteria to assess ecological IPs, which is a crucial foundation for sustainable development.

Businesses actively protecting the environment

A representative from Nitto Denko Vietnam Co., Ltd. in VSIP 1 shared that the company specializes in producing high-tech products for the electronics industry. The company has built a wastewater and exhaust gas treatment system that meets standards. All waste is collected and treated under regulations. The company allocates 20% of its campus area for green space development, contributing to improving the climate and the factory's landscape. The company has obtained the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System certification and ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System certification, both awarded by Bureau Veritas. Nitto Denko Vietnam is committed to accompanying Binh Duong on the journey of building a green industry.

According to provincial IPs Management Board, in addition to notable achievements in environmental protection, the control of pollution sources, particularly gas emissions at some enterprises within IPs is still not truly optimized. Although many enterprises have invested in exhaust gas treatment systems, the lack of specialized measurement equipment and the absence of specific standards or regulations for certain substances make it difficult to accurately assess treatment efficiency. This situation also partly hinders the appraisal, inspection and monitoring efforts by relevant authorities.

Additionally, the number of businesses with a dedicated, well-trained environmental staff knowledgeable about technical expertise and legal regulations remains limited. This leads to uneven and incomplete implementation of environmental protection measures at some companies. Furthermore, the submission deadlines for environmental reports from businesses often coincide with the time when provincial IPs Management Board compiles reports, putting pressure on the overall process of gathering and reporting to provincial People's Committee.

In the face of the above-mentioned challenges, provincial IPs Management Board has proposed to further strengthen and consolidate the environmental management apparatus within Ips. It has also recommended the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop software or an online platform to enable businesses to update and submit reports more quickly, conveniently and in a more synchronous manner. “We do not only focus on our role in monitoring and inspecting, but also strive to accompany businesses in developing waste treatment plans and environmental incident prevention strategies. "Each enterprise plays a crucial role in maintaining sustainable development, in which environmental protection is a particularly important responsibility", Mr. Phong added. (to be continued)

So far, province-based IPs have absorbed 3,236 investment projects, including 2,543 foreign-invested projects with total registered capital of US$30.65 billion and 693 domestic projects with total registered capital of VND 95,840 billion. In 2024, provincial IPs Management Board issued 138 environmental licenses for projects in IPs while closely cooperating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to monitor the implementation of the Environmental Protection Law.

Reported by Tien Hanh-Translated by Kim Tin