Vietnamese textile firms urged towards green production

Vietnamese textile and garment companies have been urged to shift to green production amid decreasing global orders, local newspaper Vietnam News reported on Thursday.

The shift towards green production chains is necessary for local firms to achieve sustainable development goals and counter the gradual loss of Vietnam's cost advantage, the newspaper reported.

In recent years, many local textile and garment enterprises have transformed to green production to meet the requirements of European importers. Despite slow progress, it is the best time for local enterprises to accelerate the transformation, Vu Duc Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association said.

He said the Vietnamese textile industry should work towards efficient use of resources and waste reduction, removal of substances and elimination of microfibre generation. It should also transform the way clothing is designed, sold and used so that natural emissions could be reduced as well as radically improve recyclability by design modification, recovery, and remanufacturing towards the use of renewable fuels, he said.

Vietnam's textile and garment industry will continue to face difficulties in the coming months due to decreasing orders from markets like the United States and European Union, the newspaper cited the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association.

In the first half of 2023, the industry's export turnover was estimated at 18.6 billion U.S. dollars, down 17.6 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the import turnover also reduced by 20.5 percent to 10.7 billion dollars in the same period, according to the association.