The application helps minimise waste in production and business activities, save production costs, thus creating environmentally friendly products and services, and developing responsible businesses, he explained.

Since 1998, the Vietnam Productivity Centre (now the Vietnam Productivity Institute) has carried out a pilot green productivity programme through projects sponsored by the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO).

The programme's highlight is the implementation of community-based green productivity models in 20 provinces and cities across the country, mainly in the agricultural and service sectors.

It makes locals and businesses clear about the concept of green productivity as well as approach and use of tools to analyse and assess matters in order to give priority.

Vietnam implemented groups of solutions and tools in community instead of in the manufacturing enterprise sector as usual, Lam said, adding that the successful application in community is highly appreciated by the APO and its members.

Through the programme, people's quality of life and environmental conditions have been significantly improved thanks to the implementation of a series of green productivity solutions such as applying biogas technology and building centralised water supply stations to ensure clean water supply for locals, and the application of integrated pest management (IPM) techniques to reduce the amount of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

The green productivity programme also affirms its advantage in both environmental protection and community development solutions such as mushroom growing, worm raising, or energy-saving kitchen models.

Besides, the application of green productivity has brought practical benefits to many businesses.

For examples, green productivity solutions have helped the Hiep Thanh Paper JSC reduce the average amount of input paper waste by 4%, and save energy monthly.

Thanks to green productivity, the Hung Hau Fruit and Vegetable Co. Ltd has reduced water and electricity consumption by 15%, cut waste treatment costs by up to 10%, and reduced workers' time in each stage by 16.67%.

However, experts assess that meeting green productivity criteria in the business sector is still limited.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Hoang Nam, head of the Scientific Management Department at Foreign Trade University, green productivity models have been applied in many projects and businesses, but mainly in large-sized ones.

Meanwhile, the majority of enterprises in Vietnam are small and medium sized.

Therefore, it is necessary to boost communications on green productivity in businesses.

In Vietnam, legal criteria on green productivity have been built into management systems, such as ISO 14000 environmental management system, ISO 50001 energy management system, solutions for green supply chain management, Global Agricultural Practices model, tools in statistics and quality management 5S and 3R.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Chi Anh, Director of the Centre for Business Administration Studies under the University of Economics and Business - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said that it is time to make green productivity mandatory.Regarding this issue, in Decision No. 1322/QD-TTg dated August 31, 2020 approving the national programme to support businesses in improving productivity and quality of products and goods in the 2021-2030 period, the Prime Minister asked for research and implementation of green productivity solutions, and at the same time support for enterprises to apply green productivity.

As the results, the application of green productivity is drastically promoted in the business sector, creating motivations for this sector to increasingly participate in the green productivity programme.