Eco-labels for commodities will be applied on a trial basis in 2009 and will be in widespread use as of 2011, according to General Department of Standardisation and Quality Measurement (Ministry of Science and Technology).
The agency plans to stick eco-labels or green labels on 10% of goods for export and 50% of goods in the domestic market. The label will be granted by the General Department of Environmental Protection. Mr.Nguyen Hoang Luu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Small and medium size Enterprise Association, said around 5% of consumer and service goods in Vietnam are up to criteria to be labeled as ecological products. Mr. Luu said food, health care-related products and some services need to be appraised in terms of ecological standards. However, Vietnam doesn’t have any organisation that evaluates and grants ecological labels. Now, Vietnam is a WTO member but it doesn’t have common criteria for ecological labels so it is difficult for the export of some products. Vietnam needs to quickly apply international standards on ecological labels, which are considered a common standard of environmental protection. To meet these standards, Vietnam enterprises must change technologies and modernise their production systems. Eco-labeling or green labeling refers to a scheme which awards environment-friendly products with eco-labels. Many consumer products in the market directly or indirectly, through their manufacturing processes, usage, or disposal, have an impact on environment. They may cause pollution or deplete our natural resources. However, there are products which have less undesirable effects on our environment. Labeling these environment-friendly products helps consumers identify and select them when they make their purchases. In the national strategy for environmental protection from now to 2010 and vision to 2020, Vietnam aims to have 100% of export goods and 50% of goods for local market have eco-labels up to ISO 14024 standards.
