HCMC - The U.S.-based company Intertek, specializing in auditing and inspection services, on Thursday introduced its new tool kits to measure and evaluate goods bound for the United States, encouraging manufacturers to produce green products to respond to concerns over the climate change.
By Phi Tuan - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC - The U.S.-based company Intertek, specializing in auditing and inspection services, on Thursday introduced its new tool kits to measure and evaluate goods bound for the United States, encouraging manufacturers to produce green products to respond to concerns over the climate change.
David Horlock, vice president for Global Inspection and Auditing for consumer goods of Intetek Hong Kong, said that the company is launching services to encourage factories to minimize environment footprints.
He was speaking at the seminar named How to Meet New U.S. Import Requirements for Quality, Safety, Labor and Environment, held by Amcharm Vietnam, in HCMC on Thursday.
The services he suggested at the gathering include Supplier Qualification Program, Passport Express – Inspection, Workplace Conditions Assessment, the Mill Qualification Program and especially the Think Green Initiative, or TGI, as a sustainable approach to greening the value chain.
“Global warming is putting pressure on retailers and brands, which are moving to reduce product packaging as part of corporate social responsibility drive to reduce carbon footprint,” said Horlock.
He added that international retailers and buyers are demanding more effective ways to evaluate suppliers’ manufacturing performance with environmental concerns.
“Consumers in the U.S. now consider not only the product itself but the entire life cycle of the product,” said Horlock. “People are more conscious about environment protection and ask questions like how the product is produced and its environment footprint on the planet when they make buying decision.”
By meeting the new requirements, manufacturers will have a chance to join in the supply chain of Wal-mart, one of the big Intertek’s customers at the time.
Vietnam is the fourth country that Intertek chooses to introduce its new services, after India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Horlock said he hoped that the services would help factories to get the right balance between profit and the environment.