Tân Phú Trung Industrial Zone in HCM City’s Củ Chi District attracts many investors. — VNA Photo Hồng Đạt

HCM CITY — HCM City will focus on developing eco-industrial parks (EIP) to attract new investment, according to the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA).

The city now has 17 existing industrial parks and export processing zones which have operated on leased land of 1,948 hectares with an occupancy rate of 77 percent.

Industrial parks and export processing zones have created jobs for more than 281,000 workers, accounting for six per cent of the city's workforce.

According to the HEPZA management board, the city's industrial parks and export processing zones are oriented to become eco-industrial parks, heading to the green growth model.

Many large corporations in the world are moving their production lines to Southeast Asian countries, including Việt Nam, and they focus on sustainability factors, of which the eco-industrial park model is typical.

According to this orientation, all existing industrial parks and export processing zones in HCM City must have a roadmap to gradually convert to the eco-industrial park model.

Hứa Quốc Hưng, head of the HEPZA management board, said the sustainable development of industrial parks and export processing zones would be an inevitable trend following the city's industrialisation and modernisation strategy.

In the context of the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on socio-economic development, and green growth and green and circular economies becoming a mainstream trend globally, industrial parks and export processing zones must build a new model suitable for the new global context to attract large projects according to the city's orientation.

To carry out the set tasks and goals, the management board is working with departments and relevant agencies to develop a comprehensive plan which is expected to be submitted to the municipal People's Committee in December 2024.

The development of eco-industrial parks is considered an effective solution to contribute to completing the net zero emission target by 2050 in Việt Nam.

Việt Nam has more than 400 industrial parks, but few of those industrial parks have strategies to convert to ecological industrial parks.

According to many experts and businesses, in order to convert to a green industrial park in production, the thinking and implementation method of investors and businesses must change and there must be more preferential policies and mechanisms.

At present, there are still obstacles in administrative procedures in the process of implementing eco-industrial park development, circular production and biodiversity.

To promote the development of eco-industrial parks and green growth, the Government has issued Decree No. 35/2022/NĐ-CP regulating the management of industrial parks and economic zones.

This decree is expected to create a premise and motivation for the eco-industrial park model to play a positive role in green growth, towards sustainable development goals. — VNS