Water resources added to corporate scoring criteria

This content was presented at the Launch Ceremony of the Programme on Evaluating and Announcing Sustainable Businesses in Viet Nam in 2026 (CSI 2026), organized by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Viet Nam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD) on May 22 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Vice President of VCCI and Chairman of VBCSD, said that after 11 years of implementation, the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) is gradually becoming a "made in Viet Nam" sustainable corporate governance tool that both aligns with international practices and suits domestic conditions.

A notable feature of CSI 2026 is the addition of indicators on water resource governance. According to the Organizing Committee, these materials were developed with the participation of Water Stewardship Viet Nam (WSVN) to encourage businesses to improve resource-use efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in their production and business activities.

According to the Organizing Committee, adding criteria related to water resources reflects the trend toward businesses shifting from commitments to specific actions in environmental governance and resource utilization.

Sharing at the program, Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Sustainable Development Director of Greenfeed Joint Stock Company, said that in the agriculture and livestock sector, implementing sustainable development criteria faces many challenges due to heavy impacts from disasters, epidemics and specific production characteristics. This enterprise is promoting a circular production model through biogas recovery, byproduct reuse, plastic packaging reduction, increased use of renewable energy and optimized water resource use in livestock farming and food processing to mitigate environmental impacts and enhance resource efficiency throughout the production chain.

"Applying the CSI not only serves the assessment activities but also helps businesses perfect their governance systems, better controlling environmental, energy and resource indicators throughout the production chain", Mr. Tuan Anh emphasized.

In 2026, the CSI for medium and large enterprises includes 166 indicators, adding content on "Fulfilling sustainable development commitments", requiring businesses to clarify their commitments, actions and results of implementing sustainable development goals. Meanwhile, the index set for small and micro enterprises is designed in a more streamlined direction, prioritizing basic compliance criteria to encourage this group of businesses to gradually transition towards sustainability.