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Workshop and Field Trip over two days
ISPONRE Workshop on eco industrial parks toward a circular economy

Within the project pillar to promote Environmental Awareness and support Environmental Protection to foster the SDG 12 about a sustainable consumption and production. Therefore, the HSF co-organized the Workshop on eco industrial zone toward a circular economy from the 05th of December until the 06th of December in the Vinh Phuc province, Vietnam.

ISPONRE Deputy Director General Duong Thanh An holding the opening remarks

HSF

Eco-industrial zone towards a Circular Economy

At the beginning of the two-day workshop Ms. Nguyen Tram Anh defined a circular economy as followed:

“The circular economy is an economy in which the value of products, materials and resources are maintained in the economy for as long as possible and minimize the generation of waste to the environment” – Ms. Nguyen Tram Anh

During a timeframe of five years (ending 06/2019) a project in Ninh Binh, Da Nang and Can Tho aimed to convert an active industrial park into an eco-industrial zone. In this eco-industrial zone companies are working linked with each other and local communities to reduce their environmental impact and reduce production costs. In addition, clean technologies and low-carbon production experience are demonstrated in industrial zones to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, persistent organic pollutants and water pollution.

 

Participants of the workshop

HSF

Benefits of Eco-industrial parks

Eco-industrial parks offer enterprises to save input material and to reuse resources which can optimize in a connected network the production activities, the production costs, the increasing profits and the capacity compete. The environment benefits in several ways such as a reduced water consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Furthermore, provides an eco-industrial park a lot of benefits for the surrounding communities. On the one hand improves a cleaner production the health and on the other hand creates an eco-industrial park in the area green jobs. With the new jobs increases also the quality of life as complex facilities like kindergartens, hospitals and public transportation improve the infrastructure.

 

Socialist-oriented circular economy

Ph. D Michael Parsons underlined that three steps have to be taken toward a socialist-oriented circular economy:

  1. Environmental Law needs revision for inclusion of Best Available Techniques (BAT), environmental permitting and expansion of problem waste items to be covered by extended producer responsibility
  2. Environmental standards needed for treatment of wastewater for fit-for-purpose reuse; and for recycled material reuse, such as in manufacturing, road making and construction
  3. Green public procurement needs to priorities local green products, produced using BAT to advance a socialist-oriented circular economy

 

Status Quo of Vietnam´s Industrial Zones and wastewater treatment

By June 2019, Vietnam counted over 326 industrial parks. The total volume of wastewater is estimated at 500,000 m³ per day. 395,000 m³ of the wastewater is treated in centralized treatment systems before being discharged into the environment. The rest is taken care of by facilities in the industrial zone before it gets directly discharged into the environment. Around 88 percent of the industrial zones have a centralized wastewater treatment system. 

To avoid that untreated wastewater gets discharged into the environment it needs high investments in wastewater facilities. Therefore, it is important, that the construction of centralized drainage, wastewater treatment systems and rainwater drainage systems of the industrial zones are completed before the industrial park goes into operation.

 

Visit to the industrial park Ba Thien 2 and their wastewater treatment system

HSF

Conclusions and recommendations

An eco-industrial park is a highly organized form and a current trend of sustainable development in the world based on saving energy, water, raw materials and reducing waste. The water supply and the drainage system of the wastewater of the industries must be planned and completed before the industrial park goes into operation. Furthermore, the drainage system must be designed on basis of circulation, reuse water and the minimization of wastewater being discharged to the environment.

One important pillar of the work of the Hanns Seidel Foundation is the cooperation with different think-tanks to provide training to government managers, ministerial officials and private-sector decision makers on green development. To ensure success in the implementation of SCP and the Agenda 2030, the HSF has been working with ISPONRE since many years.