In addition to the first 'carbon neutral' certification in Vietnam, what else is Vinamilk investing in 'green' farms?

“Collection” of sustainable farm models

Recently, Vinamilk became the first dairy brand to have a factory and a farm certified carbon neutral according to the PAS2060:2014 standard. This event has created a buzz and positive impact in the context of the "race" to Net Zero by 2050 being more concerned than ever, to realize the commitment of the Vietnamese Government to the international community at COP26.

To achieve this certification for its two member units in Nghe An, Vinamilk neutralized a total of 17,560 tons of CO2 emissions - equivalent to the absorption of about 1.7 million mature trees. Among them is a dairy farm - a farming model that is considered challenging in reducing and neutralizing greenhouse gases, with the amount of neutralized emissions being 12,560 tons of CO2. It can be said that this is a very encouraging effort of the enterprise.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving towards Net Zero in the dairy industry is very challenging. This goal requires investment in comprehensive solutions. It can be said that Vinamilk's results have great encouragement value for the Net Zero process of the dairy industry in general.”

Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, General Director of Bureau Veritas - the unit that certified PAS2060:2014 for Vinamilk's farm

The first strategy towards Net Zero at Vinamilk farms is to minimize greenhouse gas emissions into the environment, save resources, promote a circular economy with the goal of "nothing is discarded". More specifically, Vinamilk applies the principle: the output of one process is fully utilized as input for another process, thereby reducing resource exploitation, waste treatment costs and environmental pollution in the construction and operation of the farm.

At all their farms, all waste generated from livestock activities will be collected by modern systems and processed with biogas technology to create organic fertilizer for crops, improve soil; utilize as gas to heat water to sterilize milk for calves, dry grass and serve farm activities.

At Green Farm Tay Ninh alone, with a scale of 8,000 cows and calves, and 500 tons of manure discharged each day, this system has provided 100% organic fertilizer for 500 hectares of grassland, handling environmental issues and saving more than 100 million VND in electricity bills each month when replaced by biogas energy.

It is known that the initial investment capital of the enterprise is estimated at more than 3,000 billion VND (130 million USD) for 3 Green Farm ecological farms in Tay Ninh, Quang Ngai, Thanh Hoa following the sustainable agricultural model. "In the coming time, we will increase investment and convert 13 other conventional farms to Green Farm to aim for sustainable development goals," added a Vinamilk representative.

Green journey starts from green farms

In the process of minimizing the “carbon footprint” as well as the impact on the environment, Vinamilk took the first steps more than 10 years ago. For example, at Vinamilk Organic Da Lat, right from the inauguration (in early 2017), the farm was certified by the global organization Control Union (Netherlands) as the first European-standard organic dairy farm in Vietnam. Or Vinamilk Nghe An Dairy Farm is also the first farm of Vinamilk and of Vietnam to achieve Global GAP (Global Good Agricultural Practices) standards in 2015.

Vinamilk has carried out this journey to sustainable development on all 13 farms in the system nationwide. Specifically, 100% of the farms have met Global GAP standards, using biogas and solar energy, 100% of the farm land is cultivated using organic methods... Indicators on resource saving, water circulation, soil quality, and CO2 emissions are all measured and monitored annually through professional reports.

Another important step in the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is carbon absorption. Most farms dedicate 50-70% of their area to green space as well as develop ecological lakes. This not only helps absorb the amount of CO2 emitted during the livestock farming process but also creates a cooler, more pleasant climate and is more favorable for the development of dairy herds right in the tropics.

Thanks to a comprehensive strategy calculated from the beginning, Vinamilk has always shown its pioneering role in the field of sustainable development in general and Net Zero in particular. The company also identified sustainable agriculture as one of their 5-year strategic orientations, with comprehensive investment.

This is not only meaningful to Vinamilk but also the "nucleus" to promote the dairy farming industry and agriculture in general in a more advanced and sustainable direction following the general trends of the world.

Commenting further on this, Mr. Brian Lindsay, Director of the World Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF) shared: “The global dairy industry has different and diverse production models. We are currently researching and approaching pioneers to discuss and implement models in their countries. We look forward to working with Vinamilk in this process, as a leading and pioneering enterprise in Vietnam."