89% of businesses to make ESG commitments in the next 2–4 years

(Dan Tri) - Foreign-invested enterprises (FDI) are leading with 71% having implemented ESG commitments.

Faced with growing pressure from global standards, stakeholder expectations and Vietnam’s national climate commitments, ESG is increasingly seen as a strategic priority rather than just a compliance activity.

For an export-oriented economy like Vietnam, meeting international ESG standards is a prerequisite to maintaining competitiveness.

Vietnamese businesses enter the next phase of their ESG journey

According to PwC's ESG Practice Progress Survey 2025, Vietnamese businesses are entering a new phase in their ESG maturity journey.

Of these, 89% of business representatives participating in the survey have or are planning to make ESG commitments in the next 2–4 years, a significant increase from 80% in 2022. The proportion of businesses that do not have an ESG plan has nearly halved to only 11%. More importantly, the market is maturing rapidly, with more than half (54%) of businesses reporting that they have implemented ESG commitments.

However, the speed of ESG adoption varies across business types. Specifically, foreign-invested enterprises (FDI) continue to lead the way with 71% having implemented ESG commitments, mainly due to compliance with global standards.

Listed companies are catching up quickly, with 57% having implemented ESG plans, driven by investor and regulatory pressure.

Private/unlisted companies are making progress but are lagging behind. Only 27% have implemented ESG commitments, while 23% have no plans, reflecting the existence of greater barriers or a lower priority for ESG practices.

On the business side, over the past years, green growth and sustainable development have become a priority strategy. In his opinion, Mr. Vo Tan Thanh, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), affirmed that green growth is no longer an option, but an inevitable path for the Vietnamese economy and our business community.

Surveying some current businesses, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung - General Director of Vina T&T Group - said that this business has converted 100% to renewable energy, although customers around the world have not yet requested it. In the near future, Vina T&T will invest more in clean energy to replace the energy currently used.

Ms. Le Thi Thuy Anh - Deputy General Director of OPC Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company - also said that the green, sustainable orientation and digital transformation application are of great interest to businesses. Currently, OPC has built a research and development center for AI technology applications.

In the context of Vietnamese cities facing many challenges, representatives of the Handicraft and Wood Processing Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA) and the Construction and Building Materials Association of Ho Chi Minh City (SACA) also shared that the main goal of VIBE 2025 Exhibition will be to create green and sustainable design solutions. Of which, 150 businesses are expected to participate with 550 booths, demonstrating the sustainable trend that has been spreading in the wood industry.

New challenges related to human resources

Many businesses have been collaborating with universities and colleges to train ESG human resources (Photo: EIU).

As drastic as it is, the big challenge in the new phase, according to all parties, is the lack of knowledgeable human resources to be able to operate factories according to green standards and advanced technological machinery systems in the world to be able to replace outdated technology that has a negative impact on the environment.

“Current human resources need to know how to access the latest trends and the latest technology,” said Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung. According to him, there are not many green human resources at present, even though businesses are looking for them at institutes and schools. Therefore, he believes that it is necessary for businesses to connect and “place orders” with institutes and schools to train high-quality human resources for green production and operate modern machinery and equipment.

Similarly, Ms. Thuy Anh also said that businesses are in great need of sustainable human resources, with knowledge and ability to operate the latest technological equipment. She assessed that many schools are also starting to pay attention to this issue. OPC regularly receives requests from schools when they want to contribute to building teaching content for students and note what content businesses need.

To solve the above problem, many businesses have been cooperating with universities and colleges to train ESG human resources right at school.

Dr. Ngo Minh Duc, Principal of Eastern International University, commented: “If students are educated and raised aware of sustainable development right from school, it will contribute to promoting research and innovation. Along with that, when schools operate and manage green with sustainable practices, reducing environmental impacts will create an environment connecting the community, especially green businesses and the green economy, which is also a trend shaping the “incubator” of green transformation in the future.”

Dr. Ngo Minh Duc also said that sustainable development requires interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary coordination, so EIU students in a number of fields such as engineering, business administration, health sciences, etc. are all given the opportunity by the school to research and develop to find solutions for the community. In recent times, many EIU students have been prioritized for recruitment by a series of businesses due to their knowledge and skills in sustainable development and good foreign language skills.

Globally, the ESG landscape is changing rapidly with increasingly stringent regulations and greater transparency requirements. The European Union is leading the way with directives such as the CSRD (Sustainability Reporting Directive) and CSDDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive), while the Asia-Pacific region is moving from policy to implementation. ESG is no longer a voluntary commitment but a mandatory, data-driven, independently verified requirement.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/89-doanh-nghiep-thuc-hien-cam-ket-esg-trong-24-nam-toi-20250919134222825.htm