HCMC - The pathway toward sustainable growth is a multifaceted, comprehensive endeavor that needs the participation of all stakeholders, heard at a seminar titled “Sustainability and Beyond” yesterday morning, November 16.

The seminar was part of the Saigon Times CSR 2023 Merit Ceremony, which was held by the Saigon Times Group at Rex Hotel Saigon in District 1, HCMC, to recognize and honor 40 businesses with impactful and meaningful CSR initiatives. The panelists of the seminar are experts in the field and leaders of major corporations, including Joseph Low, president (Vietnam), Real Estate, Keppel Corporation; Kaneda Hiroki, general director of Acecook Vietnam; Le Anh, sustainability director of Duy Tan Plastic Recycling; John Ditty, managing partner, KPMG Vietnam; and Le Hong Minh, general director of i.Value Corporation, and member of the Management Board of Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF). Speaking at the seminar, Le Anh, sustainability director of Duy Tan Plastic Recycling, said: “Society as a whole has been striving for a better and greener Vietnam, highlighted by the determination from the authorities and business.” The integration of sustainable practices into business models has recently emerged as a key trend within various industries and sectors to upgrade Vietnam’s position on the global map, he said. Meanwhile, John Ditty, managing partner, KPMG Vietnam, said that his company has a wide array of stakeholders in the journeys toward sustainability, ranging from business partners, employees, local regulators, the public, the investor community, and others. “And we only operate in Vietnam, because we have the official permission and the official license from all those stakeholders. If we are not delivering on the expectations of any one of those stakeholder groups, we as a business are not sustainable,” he said. He also said that businesses need to balance that and try to make sure that they are engaging with all our stakeholders and meeting their needs and expectations. For Acecook Vietnam’s sustainable goals and contribution to the community, the company has been attached to its brand identification system of “Cook Happiness - Delivering joy through the culinary journey. It brings benefits to many stakeholders, including consumers, society, partners, employees and their families, said Kaneda Hiroki, general director of Acecook Vietnam. Meanwhile, Joseph Low, president (Vietnam), Real Estate, Keppel Corporation said that Keppel is actually committed to creating values for all stakeholders through our innovations in urban development, as well as bringing positive impact to the environment, the society and of course, the community. As a general director of i.Value Corporation, and member of the Management Board of Startup Vietnam Foundation, Le Hong Minh said that she believed in the potential and capabilities of human resources and the community, and they played an important part in the journey to sustainability. “All humans seek happiness. So if businesses plan their development strategy without considering the need for human happiness, it could not be considered as sustainable.” Moreover, she said that businesses need to motivate their employees in particular and people in general to believe in the goals for sustainable development, thereby changing their habits and company culture to facilitate a transition to sustainability.