The textile industry emits about 5 million tons of CO2 each year.

The information was given at a training workshop on inventory and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the textile sector, organized by the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on November 8, in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change, stated that inventorying greenhouse gases in the textile and garment sector and proposing solutions to reduce emissions is necessary, helping businesses to partly catch up with market trends and green transformation to adapt to brand requirements.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change, spoke at the workshop.

Studies show that the fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for 6-10% of global carbon emissions, equivalent to about 1.7 billion tons of carbon. Due to the increasing demand for clothing and the growth of “fast fashion”, the fashion industry is expected to account for about 25% of the world’s total carbon emissions by 2050.

Ms. Dang Hong Hanh - Technical Expert of SPI-NDC Project shared: Vietnam is the fourth largest textile and garment exporter in the world, with key markets being Japan, the US, South Korea and the EU. Vietnam's export value by 2020 is nearly 38 billion USD. Due to the characteristics of the industry, which uses a lot of energy, raw materials and chemicals, it causes high greenhouse gas emissions. Wet processing of textiles (fibers, fabrics and garments) has the largest "carbon footprint" due to the water intensity for washing, rinsing, pre-treatment, dyeing and post-treatment finishing.

Currently, there are 294 textile and footwear enterprises that must carry out greenhouse gas inventory responsibilities according to Decree 06/2022/ND-CP on GHG emission reduction and ozone layer protection (List in Decision 01/2022/QD-TTg issued by the Government on January 18, 2022).

Mr. Koji Fukuda, Chief Advisor of SPI-NDC Project, speaking at the workshop

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change, said that the textile and garment industry is targeted and expected to become a key export industry of the economy according to the Strategy for the Development of the Textile and Footwear Industry of Vietnam to 2030, with a vision to 2035.

Decree 06 has provided a specific roadmap for businesses, including textile and garment businesses, to provide operational data and relevant information for greenhouse gas inventories of facilities. From March 2025, businesses will have to send data to management agencies, and at the same time, develop and implement plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From 2026, businesses will be required to implement emission reduction measures according to the plan, to comply with the allocated emission quota.

From now on, businesses need to promptly implement steps to prepare for greenhouse gas inventory and emission reduction, to avoid falling into a state of confusion in production, affecting production results, business, and workers - Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang emphasized.

Textile and garment business representatives practice calculating greenhouse gas inventories

The training and coaching activities are part of the Project “Support for Planning and Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions in Vietnam” (SPI-NDC), aiming to introduce legal regulations and technical guidance to units operating in the textile and garment sector on inventorying and implementing greenhouse gas emission reduction towards achieving the targets under Vietnam's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

According to Mr. Koji Fukuda, Chief Advisor of the SPI-NDC Project, with the export expansion orientation of the textile and garment industry, many Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises are present in the global supply chain. In reality, enterprises are facing pressure from investors, shareholders, and customers in proving that their products are suitable for sustainable development requirements, meeting the "Environment - Society - Governance" index set, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Globally, climate change has become one of the issues that need to be taken into account in corporate risk management. The effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission reduction has become one of the decisive factors for shareholders and investors in the issue of investment or divestment. The textile and garment industry's transition to a green, decarbonized industry will contribute to Vietnam's overall climate goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

At the workshop, representatives of the Department of Climate Change and experts from Vietnam and Japan shared specific regulations on greenhouse gas inventory and greenhouse gas emission reduction; international business trends and climate change; introduced methods and tools for calculating greenhouse gas inventory; emission reduction measures of pioneering green and clean production enterprises in the textile and garment sector; introduced the carbon market and case studies on carbon trading practices, the Online Greenhouse Gas Inventory Reporting System, etc. The workshop also devoted a lot of time for representatives of enterprises and relevant agencies to ask questions and discuss to clarify issues in the process of inventorying and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Source