Industry fair pushes clean production to small firms

A rattan industry trade fair which opened in HCM City on Sunday is promoting the concept that cleaner production helps small and medium-sized companies operate in a sustainable manner and access the international market.

The Asia Pacific Lifestyle Trade Fair has attracted around 700 companies, but only a few dozen apply Clean Production (CP).

While rattan products are very popular in Indo-China and beneficial to people’s livelihood, waste created during the production process, and pollution are threatening the industry.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) ‘s “Sustainable Rattan Programme in Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam” project, funded by the EU, Swedish home-products retailer IKEA, and the German development finance institution (DEG), was begun in 2009 to engage communities, the private sector, and governments in securing sustainable rattan supply chains.

Around 300 SMEs are familiarising themselves with CP, with at least 120 of them able to apply their own tailored solutions.

“As a cleaner production body, we are, in collaboration the WWF Rattan Programme, putting our time and effort into encouraging rattan companies to engage in CP,” Le Xuan Thinh, head of company consultancy at the Viet Nam Cleaner Production Centre (VNCPC), said.

Seven Vietnamese companies are committed to applying CP.

VNCPC has developed eight new CP techniques that will be tested by rattan processors before introducing to companies.

“A company in Nui Thanh District, central Quang Nam Province, may save 30 per cent to 50 per cent of chemical costs and 40 per cent of liquid, gas, and fuel costs, Thinh added.

In addition to CP, the project also promotes sustainable forest management through FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification.

According to legislation passed recently in Europe and the US – FLEGT and Lacey Act – only FSC-certified timber items can enter the two markets – two major importers of rattan products.

Rattan does not belong to the timber forest class but rattan products too may soon see strict import policies. — VNS

Tags: clean production