Sustainable strategies are more valuable than quick green fixes

Companies can be proud of being able to manufacture green materials. However, it would be more appreciated if a company implements a sustainable strategy for its value chain, from input to output, for all activities that the company is involved in. We call this an integrated green strategy which contributes the most to environment.

From manufacturing green material

Clean Colorbond Thermatech, is a favoured roofing material in most of industrial green buildings in Vietnam for several reasons. First and foremost, this is a high quality product has good performance during its long life. This feature is extremely important because the owner can save energy thanks to its reflective material, while performance is maintained during its long life cycle. Second, this kind of roofing helps reduce the heat island effect which is an increasing issue. By using special painting technology, Clean Colorbond Thermatech helps increase Solar Reflectance Index, or SRI and therefore reduces the heat island effect quite well. If a light colored Clean Colorbond Thermatech is used in a green building project, it helps that project score one point automatically on the LEED scale.

To green factory

The NS BlueScope Vietnam factory, where roofing materials are made from steel, is a high-intensity heavy industry. The factory management however, has put a lot of effort into improving the efficiency. The automated production process that operates on 24/7 basis contributes to energy savings. The large-scale production process is operated by just a dozen technicians and most of the work they do is to monitor performance on screen. 24/7 operation is also a key factor in energy savings and quality assurance because the process consumes a lot of electricity for each start and mitigates against the unstable quality which often characterises first batches.

Beside electricity, water is among one of important resources. The management conducts a water performance measurement by reviewing the whole water system including cooling water and pipe leakages, etc. Then meters are installed to supervise flow of water, record data to set standards for monitoring. Any contractors that provide service to the factory must have a suitable limit amount on water use.

Green office

At the NS BlueScope office in Ho Chi Minh City, various activities have been taken to minimise the impact on environment. A professional consultant has identified room for improvement. Electricity and water use has been curbed and office waste is minimised by using both sides of printed paper.

And green building advocacy

NS BlueScope Vietnam is very active in advocating green building development in Vietnam through a range of diverse activities. In 2014 a series of events have been organised to foster green buildings. A seminar was organised in March where consultants of green buildings in Vietnam were named and celebrated. Design professionals and factory owners in Vietnam also benefited from the seminar thanks to an interesting presentation on green buildings by an expert from Singapore. NS BlueScope Vietnam also organised sharing best practices about a green building in Thailand and Malaysia among its business partners. This is chance to have sharing experience with green building professionals from Thailand and Malaysia as well as to visit a LEED Platinum project. Furthermore, NS BlueScope Vietnam is proactive to become a member of the Vietnam Green Building Council. The firm has also focused on building cooperation with professional green building consultants like GreenViet so as to help advocate much further for greener Vietnam.

By Do Huu Nhat Quang - Founding member of GreenViet