HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam’s 100 most sustainable businesses of 2017 were announced at a ceremony in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

They were selected from nearly 500 entries to the contest, jointly conducted by the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Việt Nam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD). Businesses include Phú Nhuận Jewelry JSC, Đà Nẵng Port Logistic JSC, Thăng Long Invest Group, Herbalife Việt Nam and Amway Việt Nam.

According to the organising board, this year’s programme assessed firms on the basis of 134 criteria, focused on socio-economic and environmental aspects. In the future, the list of criteria will be simplified so that it can be applied to micro- and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Addressing the event, VCCI President Vũ Tiến Lộc highlighted the presence of new private firms in this year’s ranking, saying that this proves the country’s business climate is improving. Trần Ngọc Anh from Dekalb Việt Nam, a Monsanto entity that sells genetically modified seeds to farmers and is one of the honoured firms, said the recognition gives her company motivation to pursue sustainable development goals at home and abroad.

The programme was first held in 2016 and will be an annual event.

This year, the companies received three different types of honors including the sustainable business certificate, the sustainable enterprise certificate for excellent manufacturing enterprises and the sustainable business certificate for excellence enterprises in trade and services.

The certificates aim to encourage businesses in Việt Nam to focus more on sustainable development, planning and implementing strong development business strategies. — VNS