February 11, 2025

 

Livestock firms in Vietnam work towards better circular economy

 

 

Several livestock companies in Vietnam are making efforts to enhance their circular economy to boost the quality and value of products, amid a target of $1.5 billion in export turnover for the sector this year.

 

In the first month of 2025, local agricultural businesses and state management authorities are accelerating negotiations with global partners to unlock more export markets.

 

Vietnam's Department of Livestock Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is continuing negotiations to export livestock products to South Korea, China, Singapore, the European Union, and the Middle East.

 

At the same time, processing enterprises are also working with partners to export to markets which are opened for livestock goods from Vietnam.

 

CP Vietnam is making efforts to negotiate with international partners and simultaneously enhance the quality of livestock products to expand new export markets. In 2024, CP Vietnam Food Binh Phuoc exported about $200 million worth of chicken products to a number of countries such as Japan, China, Laos, and Cambodia.

 

"To export products, we have applied the circular economy model to business operations," said chief executive officer Pawalit Ua Amornwanit. "Regarding plastics, especially the extended producer and exporter responsibility, the group has complied through declaration on the system and participated in the Vietnam Packaging Recycling Alliance, contributing to the expansion of waste recycling in the most positive way."

 

The company has nearly 20 factories across Vietnam with 30,000 employees. It minimises waste in the production process and makes optimal use of resources, including using cattle manure, sewage sludge, eggshells, and compost for biogas to generate electricity.

 

Greenfeed, a Vietnamese enterprise with 20 years of experience, has implemented a range of solutions, including rooftop solar energy systems, organic fertiliser production, wastewater treatment and reuse for crop irrigation, and biogas recovery for electricity generation.

 

Sustainability director Pham Tuan Anh said: "Solid waste on Greenfeed's farms will be composted and processed as organic fertiliser to provide abundant nutrients to plants and increase soil organic matter. With wastewater, this business will process and recover biogas to activate generators and produce electricity for the farm's operating needs."

 

TH Group is implementing circular economy during production, farming, and processing to enhance the quality and value of products.

The company has achieved milestones in clean energy, biodiversity, land management, and waste and wastewater treatment, in addition to reducing plastic waste. It has also invested in wastewater treatment systems using Dutch technology.

 

In 2023, TH Group's farm system reduced emissions by an average of more than 20% per unit of product through a range of solutions focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, switching to green and renewable energy, and increasing carbon capture.

 

The group's solar panel system at its farm and factory generates over seven million kWh annually, contributing to a reduction of 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

 

Using circular economy to enhance the export value of livestock is a part of the industry's mid- and long-term development strategies. The livestock development strategy for 2021–2030 targets an export value of livestock products of $1-1.5 billion in 2025 and $3-4 billion by 2030.

 

"The strategy has identified the potential of ecological regions for comprehensive and sustainable development along the value chain, ensuring food safety, environmental friendliness, adapting to climate change, and treating livestock humanely," said Pham Kim Dang, deputy director of the Department of Livestock Production under the MARD, at a summary meeting in late 2024.

 

- Vietnam Investment Review