Vietnam to reduce environmental impact of textile-garment industry by 2030

HANOI, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) has set a goal of helping Vietnam's textile and garment industry be more environmentally friendly by 2030.

By 2023, the industry plans to reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent and water consumption by 20 per cent, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Green growth is an important part of sustainable development. In recent years, enterprises in the textile - garment - footwear industries have paid special attention to this issue.

According to VITAS secretary-general Truong Van Cam, a greener textile and garment industry not only contributes to implementing the national strategy on green growth but also fulfills the requirements of large textile and garment import markets in the world, such as the European Union (EU).

Vietnamese textile-garment and leather-footwear firms need to improve the sustainability of their production for export to the EU after the European Commission (EC) proposed the goods must comply with ecological design criteria.

Earlier this year, the EC proposed a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable, to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles, and ensure their production takes place in full respect of social rights.

Europe is a traditional and key market for Vietnam's textile and footwear industries, especially with the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

“This is an issue that businesses must focus on quickly deploying if they want to exploit markets like the United States or EU and other large markets.

“This will also help businesses develop sustainably and reduce production costs,” Cam said.

-- BERNAMA