HCMC's Party Committee Secretary (second from right) visits Deutsches Haus

Such certificates can bring higher incomes. Clams found in the Mekong Delta, for example, have an MSC certificate from the Marine Stewardship Council. 

A special rake that selects adult clams and excludes small ones is one of the important tools for Ben Tre’s farmers to get an MSC certificate on sustainable development. The farmers now have high income with the price 30 percent higher than products from other sources.

MSCs, LEED certificates in real estate, FSC in woodwork industry, and ISO 14000 in manufacturing are mostly issued by NGOs and recognized globally.

A research project of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) found that businesses that carry out eco-innovation obtain 15 percent per annum growth on average. 

A survey of 12,000 Vietnamese consumers carried out by Vibiz in 2017 showed that 73.5 percent of consumers were concerned about environmental factors, 80 percent were willing to pay more money to be able to use clean and safe products, 84.5 percent prioritized to use organic products and 91.2 percent spent more money on high-quality products.

Meanwhile, afforestation in accordance with FSC standards can bring great benefits to both farmers and enterprises thanks to stable demand from international woodwork producers, while ISO 14000 helps penetrate the choosy but high-spending EU market.

By the end of the last year, 732 Vietnam businesses had CoC/FSC certificates, the highest number in Southeast Asia. Of these, 49 businesses got FSC/FM for a total area of 226,500 hectares.

In construction, a research project in the US found that new green works increased by 11 percent in value and existing works by 7 percent, while the operation costs fell by 13.6 percent for newly built green works and 8.5 percent for renovated ones.

As green works help save costs on energy, water and maintenance, the American Sustainable Business Council believes that businesses look forward to improving their profits with green strategy. 

In Vietnam, Deutsches Haus in HCMC, which got a LEED certificate, has the highest rent in Vietnam and 20 percent higher than other A-class buildings.

However, Nguyen Manh Hung from RMIT Vietnam found that Vietnamese businesses are not interested in green certificates.

“The barriers in costs and the lack of demand are the two major reasons,” Hung said.

RELATED NEWS

Green buildings gain ascendancy in real estate market

A green future for Vietnam housing

Thanh Lich