Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, coordinator of the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP), emphasized this at a seminar in Hanoi on June 4 to discuss how to make more efficient use of natural resources among small and medium-sized businesses.

Principles of energy saving, recycling, and re-use are being encouraged in many countries around the world, Dr. Fotiou said, adding that UNEP is now carrying out a project to encourage efficient use of natural resources in small- and medium-sized businesses in Vietnam, in an effort to reduce production cost and pollution, and ensure workers’ health and labour safety.

In order to expand the model for efficient use of natural resources, the project management board needs to create a tool kit in Vietnamese, which can be divided into categories businesses can easily access, according to participants.

Businesses should be informed about incentives to encourage them to use natural resources efficiently, and should have access to support in the areas of environmental protection, energy saving, and clean production, the seminar pointed out.

A number of Vietnamese businesses have been trained since the beginning of the project a year ago and have successfully applied improved efficiency measures. They are Dong Nam Paper Factory in Binh Duong, and the food processing factory of the Viet Quang Company.