Capacity building on eco-industrial parks at the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park goes on

29 March 2022, Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park, Nha Be district, Ho Chi Minh city. The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), organized a capacity building workshop on Resource Efficiency & Cleaner Production and Industrial Symbiosis with the participation of 58 representatives from tenant companies of the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park.

This is one of the painful activities of the project “Implementing ecological industrial parks in Vietnam in the direction of receiving from the global ecological industrial park program” and Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park was chosen as the first pilot in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Pham Thanh Truc, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Industrial Parks and Production Regime Zones of Ho Chi Minh City, acknowledged: after 30 years of construction and development, production regime zones and industrial parks in the city have achieved certain achievements, contributing positively to the industrialization and modernization of the country, but there have also been certain regimes in recent times.

According to Mr. Pham Thanh Truc, the pilot implementation of converting Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park into an ecological industrial park – urban – only leads to the largest development scale in the city, the total analysis of all 3 industrial phases of 1,300 hectares is beneficial in terms of location, infrastructure such as: water treatment plant, kindergarten, housing for workers, parks, ecological green parks, international stadiums, shopping malls, sports complex…

This is also the general orientation of the National Action Program on sustainable production and consumption in Ho Chi Minh City for the period 2021 – 2030; the project on orientation for the development of production and industrial zones in Ho Chi Minh City for the period 2021 – 2025 and vision to 2030 towards a long-term ecological industrial park model. In which, there is the task of disseminating and replicating industrial symbiosis models, models of industrial zones, clusters, and sustainable ecological craft villages; develop a sustainable network of links between small-scale industrial producers and industrial producers.

Similarly, the remaining industrial parks in the city, preferably those that are being formed, have the strength to be able to apply the criteria set out in the work to become a clean, ecological industrial park, bringing environmental and economic benefits to businesses and industrial parks.

“However, to achieve this goal, there needs to be a unified determination from businesses, industrial park infrastructure development companies, policy support from the state; support from domestic and foreign organizations, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and relevant agencies to simultaneously deploy many synchronous solutions in implementing related activities to build more ecological industrial parks in the future, in line with the general development orientation of the city and the whole country”, Mr. Pham Thanh Truc emphasized.

Sharing the same view, Ms. Nguyen Tram Anh, an expert from the Project Management Board under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, also shared the limitations in the development of industrial parks today such as: lack of connectivity between businesses in the park; inefficient use of resources; energy and water are not guaranteed; negative impacts on the natural environment and living environment of the community around the industrial park; reduce competitiveness… and at the same time affirm that the trend of converting from traditional industrial zones to ecological industrial zones is inevitable.

According to Ms. Nguyen Tram Anh, industrial ecology conceives industrial activities as an ecosystem created by humans but operating like a natural ecosystem; in which, waste or by-products of this activity are used as input materials for other activities. The industrial ecosystem converts from a linear industrial process to a circular industrial process similar to a natural ecosystem.

“Therefore, when forming an eco-industrial park, it will reduce the use of raw materials, water, energy and toxic chemicals; minimize greenhouse gas emissions, organic wastes that are difficult to decompose; economic, environmental and social risks… On the contrary, an eco-industrial park will help improve competitiveness and profits; share utilities in the industrial park, production materials, access to new technology and green financial support mechanisms; improve health and safety for workers; increase the quality of life for the community. At the same time, it will achieve the goal of state management of industrial activities and industrial parks in a sustainable direction, implementing international commitments on the environment”, Ms. Nguyen Tram Anh shared.

Participating in the workshop, Mr. Dinh Manh Thang, a senior expert on cleaner production and energy saving, also shared about industrial symbiosis and considered this necessary for an industrial park, especially an eco-industrial park. By the connection between industrial facilities or companies in which the waste or by-products of one facility become raw materials for another.

According to Mr. Dinh Manh Thang, the current types of symbiosis are utility symbiosis and infrastructure sharing; supply symbiosis and co-location of suppliers and customers; service symbiosis, by-products and waste exchange; industrial-urban symbiosis…

Mr. Dinh Manh Thang affirmed: industrial symbiosis not only promotes increased profits, higher competitiveness, cost savings, larger market share but also strengthens environmental records, sustainability reports, reduces environmental risks, and resource dependence. At the same time, it reduces pressure from stakeholders (local communities), creates more opportunities, jobs, improves reputation, etc.

Also at the workshop, delegates exchanged and shared practical experiences on the benefits of eco-industrial parks; eco-industrial park models according to international frameworks; eco-industrial park management and services for businesses. Key methods and tools in identifying and implementing resource-efficient and cleaner production solutions; planning project activities and the next steps of the project’s support for businesses and stakeholders in Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park, etc.