AkzoNobel ranked among 100 sustainable businesses in Vietnam by VCCI

Le Anh Dung, marketing director of AkzoNobel Vietnam, receiving the award

The Programme on Benchmarking and Ranking Sustainable Businesses is a prestigious annual event hosted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), honouring the 100 businesses which are pioneers gaining outstanding achievements in the field of sustainable development.

The list was compiled based on the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) and scores in three main categories of economic indicators, social indicators, and environmental impact.

According to Pamela Phua, general director of AkzoNobel Vietnam, the achievement has once again proved the company’s pursuit of sustainability. “At AkzoNobel, sustainability is business and business is sustainability. The company takes its responsibility to depollute the paints and coatings in its urban environment very seriously, and we are committed to applying these lessons throughout the supply chain to address both energy use and air quality. Being honoured as one of the most sustainable enterprises in Vietnam for the third time is a recognition of our unceasing efforts over the years. This is definitely a huge motivation that drives us forward, utilising our key strengths to make people’s lives more liveable and to inspire them to follow suit.”

"By empowering and inspiring people, reducing our impact on the planet, and driving innovation to offer more sustainable paint and coatings to our customers, AkzoNobel is actively building a more sustainable business and a better tomorrow for future generations," she added.

In recent years, AkzoNobel has consecutively introduced new environmentally-friendly products with low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and better ability to neutralise odour, helping ensure a healthy living space.

To support urban communities in combating pollution, AkzoNobel embarked on a programme to deliver next-generation depolluting paint based on the photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide. By absorbing sunlight, specifically ultraviolet radiation, photoactive titanium dioxide particles can be activated in the presence of oxygen and moisture to produce free radicals. These highly active radicals are capable of degrading pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide, thereby contributing to the abatement of noxious emissions from motor vehicles and other human activities.

For cities experiencing seasons with high temperatures, cooling buildings is a significant source of energy consumption. AkzoNobel has successfully developed the first generation of paints that offers vivid colours together with the ability to keep the surface cooler. This technology, KeepCool, is based on special pigments that have been selected based on their ability to reflect better in the near-infrared region of the solar spectrum, which contributes to 40 per cent of the solar energy. The result is that the surface can be 5 degrees Celsius lower than without this technology, leading to potentially reducing energy use by 10 to 15 per cent for the building.

Moreover, AkzoNobel is a pioneer in promoting green architecture in the country by introducing and providing Dulux Professional comprehensive solutions for project customers as well as holding and accompanying seminars and workshops on smart cities and urban heritage preservation.

Beside sustainable business practices, AkzoNobel focuses on community development. AkzoNobel Cares, an initiative to help to improve living spaces and develop community through Let’s Colour, Education Fund, Community Day, and other projects has made a tremendous impact in recent times.

Under this initiative, AkzoNobel sponsored about 20,000 litres of premium paints and thousands of volunteer time to repaint the iconic Dai Lanh and Vung Tau lighthouses, renew schools, streets, houses in Ho Chi Minh City, Canh Duong (Quang Binh) and Be island (Ly Son, Quang Ngai), as well as Linh Truong sea embankment (Thanh Hoa) with colourful and meaningful murals. AkzoNobel’s paints products are not only protecting constructions across the country against harsh weather conditions but are also contributing to developing local communities and advocating environmental protection.

AkzoNobel Vietnam is making major efforts to develop local capacity, especially for the young generation, and raise awareness about sustainability as they will lead the country in the coming years. Safety Day is held among AkzoNobel employees on an annual basis to raise awareness about safety in manufacturing and business operations.

Together with annual scholarships for talented Vietnamese architecture students, AkzoNobel hosted Orange ASEAN Factory in Vietnam for the first time, which focused on improving the sustainability skills and knowledge for youngsters.