CEO Mai Kieu Lien shares about Vinamilk's journey to becoming "Top 5 most sustainable milk brands globally" and outlines steps towards sustainable development in the future. 
Ms. Mai Kieu Lien, the person who laid the bricks for Vinamilk's sustainable development journey
The first steps in sustainable development are still a "vague" concept. Vinamilk has laid the foundation for a long-term development strategy, focusing on product quality and a sustainable production chain from the very beginning. After nearly half a century, from a starting point of almost zero, Vinamilk has become a leading symbol of the Vietnamese dairy industry, with a brand value of 3 billion USD and is in the Top 5 most sustainable dairy brands in the world. Interestingly, according to Ms. Mai Kieu Lien, many sustainable development practices (PTBV) were implemented by Vinamilk very early, when this concept was still "vague" and not as popular as it is today.
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| In 2023, Vinamilk will purchase more than 239,000 tons of raw fresh milk and nearly 215,500 tons of corn biomass from farmers. |
“When Vinamilk started implementing long-term projects on sustainable development, this concept was not as popular as it is today. At that time, people talked a lot about corporate social responsibility. But no matter what the concept is, it all comes from the common philosophy of focusing on the community with long-term commitments. Up to now, we have programs aimed at sustainable development that have been implemented for 10 years, 20 years,” Vinamilk CEO shared.
"The principle of Vinamilk over the past 48 years is that all production and business activities must bring value to the community, to those around them, to partners and to staff. Business will have its ups and downs, but sustainable development is a responsibility to the community. Whatever is necessary and serves society and people, Vinamilk will do." Ms. Mai Kieu Lien, CEO of Vinamilk
More specifically, Ms. Lien mentioned programs associated with the Vinamilk brand such as: School Milk (from 2007 to present); Vietnam Grow Up Milk Fund established in 2008, has donated more than 42 million glasses of milk to more than half a million children nationwide; or the 1 Million Trees for Vietnam Fund (2012-2020) planting more than 1.1 million trees in many provinces and cities across the country. Vinamilk is considered a leader in ESG (Environment - Society - Corporate Governance) and is a rare enterprise that has published a separate PTBV report from the annual report, built according to international standards and independently audited 12 years ago. "Looking back on the PTBV journey from the early days until today, we realize that we made the right decision and took strategic steps very early," CEO Mai Kieu Lien said about the development journey at Vinamilk.
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| Vinamilk and the people of Ca Mau Cape protect and regenerate 25 hectares of mangrove forest |
Developing a sustainable value chain with people Since the 90s, Vinamilk has carried out a white revolution, cooperating with farmers to develop the dairy farming industry, providing technical guidance on care and veterinary care, and signing contracts with competitive prices. “This ensures that farmers have a stable income, feel secure in raising and investing in developing dairy herds. That is the most important thing for development and helps Vinamilk gradually build a domestic milk material area,” Ms. Lien shared. When the demand for milk consumption increased, in 2007, Vinamilk developed the first dairy farm in Tuyen Quang; then, built many more modern, green and sustainable farm models. In addition to providing a source of quality milk materials, these farms are also the “nucleus” of sustainable agricultural development for the locality, building the economy of neighboring areas. Here, farmers are an indispensable “link” to form a sustainable value chain. Vinamilk encourages farmers to grow corn and grass to provide food for cows and support organic fertilizer from livestock for people around the farm. At the same time, it provides guidance on cultivation, planting techniques, and output consumption, helping to increase crop productivity and stabilize income. “From the beginning, Vinamilk's sustainable journey has been community-oriented, motivated by farmers to develop. Therefore, now or in the next decades, we will support and work with people to develop a stronger sustainable value chain,” CEO Mai Kieu Lien concluded.
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Conquering the new challenge - Net Zero In 2023, Vinamilk announced its action program towards Net Zero 2050 (Vinamilk Pathways to Dairy Net Zero 2050) in response to the Government's common goal. Less than a year later, Vinamilk had 3 units certified as carbon neutral according to the international standard PAS2060:2014 and was also the first dairy enterprise in Vietnam to achieve this result. According to Ms. Mai Kieu Lien, Net Zero is a new concept, not only for Vietnam, but also for the global dairy industry. However, going through a journey of nearly 50 years with many challenges, the "female general of the dairy industry" is confident that perseverance will help Vinamilk conquer this new challenge. “Business has its ups and downs, but sustainable development cannot be achieved overnight, but requires long-term commitment and determination from businesses, especially when faced with challenging periods or trade-off decisions,” said Ms. Lien. When asked about competition, Ms. Lien affirmed that there is no rivalry in sustainable development, if there is, it is our race against time, against urgent issues such as climate change, environmental pollution, etc. to protect and build a better future for everyone and for future generations.
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Source: https://baodautu.vn/ceo-vinamilk-mai-kieu-lien-dieu-gi-can-thiet-va-phuc-vu-cho-cong-dong-cuoc-song-thi-vinamilk-se-lam-d218195.html 
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