From “Polluting Craft Villages” to “Eco-Industrial and Resource Recycling Zones”: A Strategic Direction for Bắc Ninh’s Craft Villages

The Vicious Cycle of Pollution and the Desire for Innovation in Craft Villages

Bắc Ninh, the land of Kinh Bắc rich in cultural tradition, is also one of the cradles of traditional craft and recycling villages in Vietnam. However, the development of craft villages such as Phong Khe paper, Da Hoi iron and steel, Dai Bai copper casting, and Dong Ky wood carving over many decades has faced a structural challenge: Severe environmental pollution. Small-scale, scattered production interspersed within residential areas, outdated technology, and the direct discharge of solid waste, wastewater, and emissions into the environment have created a vicious cycle of pollution that is nearly impossible to control.

This situation not only directly threatens public health and degrades soil, water, and air quality but also reduces the long-term competitiveness of craft village products. The cost of pollution treatment is increasing, while the ability of small production units to invest in clean technology is limited.

In this context, the direction of consolidating craft villages into Resource Recycling Industrial Zones (RRIZs) and progressing towards establishing Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs) based on Circular Economy (CE) principles has emerged as a strategic, comprehensive, and sustainable solution that the Bắc Ninh government and central authorities are resolutely implementing. This is the only way for craft villages to both preserve their traditional values and enter a new era of green production and low-carbon economy.

Core Benefits of Resource Recycling Industrial Zones for Craft Villages

The relocation and consolidation of craft village production facilities into RRIZs bring outstanding benefits, decisively addressing both environmental and economic challenges:

1. Centralized, Effective Pollution Control and Treatment

• Synchronous environmental infrastructure: RRIZs are planned with complete infrastructure: centralized wastewater treatment plants, solid waste collection and sorting systems, hazardous waste storage areas, and standard water and electricity supply infrastructure. This eliminates indiscriminate discharge and ensures that waste is treated according to strict standards.
• Adoption of advanced technology: Centralization makes it easier for businesses to jointly invest in or contract for modern industrial waste treatment services. For example, sludge from the paper village can be converted into non-fired construction materials, or ash and slag from metal casting furnaces can be treated to recover valuable metals and produce sub-base materials.
• Reduced burden on residential areas: The act of relocating production facilities out of residential areas is a key step, helping to improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, and enhance sanitation for the community.

2. Implementation of Circular Economy (CE) Principles

RRIZs serve as the physical foundation for fully implementing CE, transitioning from a linear “take-make-dispose” model to a closed-loop system:

• On-site Recycling and Industrial Symbiosis: This is the core element. The waste (by-products, excess heat, wastewater, solids) of one business in the IZC becomes a resource input for another. Sawdust from the wood village can become raw material for biomass pellet production, and hot air from the metal casting process can be used for wood drying or material dehumidification. This connection creates a closed-loop material cycle.
• Resource optimization: Minimizing the consumption of new raw materials, water, and energy through reuse and recovery. Digitalized resource monitoring and control systems help ensure the transparency and closure of the material flow.

3. Enhanced Economic Efficiency and Competitiveness

• Reduced input costs: Businesses reduce the cost of purchasing new raw materials, energy costs (through waste heat recovery, use of renewable energy), and waste treatment costs (by selling by-products).
• Increased product value: Craft village products manufactured in a clean environment, applying eco-friendly technology, and having certified origin and sustainable production processes can easily access demanding export markets and enhance brand value.
• Attracting green investment: The Eco-Industrial Park model, focused on resource recycling, will attract high-tech, clean technology investment projects, as well as green credit funds and innovation funds from both domestic and international sources.

Government Directions and Policies: From Pilot to Replication

Authorities at all levels have identified EIPs as a strategic direction, demonstrated through specific policies and actions:

1. Legal Framework and Strategic Orientation

• Decree No. 35/2022/ND-CP: This is a crucial legal document that clearly defines the criteria, support mechanisms, and orientation for the development of Eco-Industrial Parks in Vietnam, serving as the basis for Bắc Ninh to implement the model.
• Centralized planning: The policy of replanning production space, relocating craft village facilities out of residential areas, and concentrating them into specialized industrial clusters or IZs has been accelerated. This facilitates environmental management and opens up opportunities for cooperation and specialization.

2. Multi-Stakeholder Cooperation and Technical Support

• International cooperation: The Vietnamese Government and Bắc Ninh have collaborated with international organizations (such as UNIDO, GIZ) to implement pilot programs, provide technical guidance, transfer technology, and evaluate the effectiveness of the EIP transition.
• Financial and technical support: Green credit programs and innovation support funds are mobilized to help craft village businesses overcome barriers related to capital and outdated technology. Technical assistance helps small production households access and apply cleaner production solutions (e.g., switching to gasification technology to reduce fine dust in pottery villages, improving paper-making technology to reduce chemical use).

3. Building Symbiosis and Digitalization Platforms

• Development of Information Sharing Systems and Electronic Resource Exchange Platforms: The government plays a facilitating role in creating a digital platform where businesses can post information about material flows, waste, and input needs. This system helps connect industrial symbiosis opportunities quickly, transparently, and efficiently, reducing transaction costs.
• Smart management: Application of digital technology (IoT, AI) to monitor and optimize production processes, energy, water consumption, and waste management in real-time.

The Operating Pillars of the Eco-Industrial and Resource Recycling Zone

For the RRIZ model to successfully transform into an EIP, focus must be placed on four main pillars:

1. Industrial Symbiosis

Symbiosis is the heart of the EIP. This requires:

• Central Management Unit: Plays the role of coordination, collection, sorting, and treatment of waste, connecting businesses that supply and use secondary materials.
• Multi-directional connection: Not only solid waste, but also wastewater (reused after treatment), excess heat, and emissions are exchanged. For example, emissions/heat from the aluminum casting process can be used to dry materials or generate electricity.

2. Cleaner Production and Technological Innovation

Cleaner Production (SCP) is a principle that must be applied from product design to the production process. Businesses need to invest in:

• Energy and water-saving production lines: Installation of rooftop solar power systems (renewable energy), waste heat recovery systems.
• Advanced treatment and recycling technology: Increasing the rate of on-site recycling, minimizing the final amount of waste that must be taken to landfills.

3. Sustainable Infrastructure and Comprehensive Waste Management

• Green building design: New constructions within the EIP must comply with international green standards (LEED, EDGE), optimizing energy efficiency and using recycled, eco-friendly materials.
• Circular water management: Wastewater must be centrally treated and reused for non-potable activities such as irrigation, sanitation, or cooling, reducing pressure on surface water sources and pollution.

4. Social Factors and Human Resources

The transition requires a change in the mindset of production facility owners and workers.

• Persuasion and proactive participation: The government needs clear compensation mechanisms, appropriate relocation support, and training programs (waste treatment, operation of clean technology) so that residents and facility owners voluntarily and proactively participate.
• Culture of cooperation: Replacing the habit of small-scale production with a mindset of cooperation, adherence to common management procedures, and joint construction of the value chain.

Vision for Sustainable Development

The transition of Bắc Ninh’s craft villages to the Eco-Industrial and Resource Recycling Zone model is a long and challenging journey, requiring strategic vision, political determination, and perseverance from all stakeholders.

When this model is successfully implemented, Bắc Ninh will not only solve the persistent environmental challenge but also create a green production foundation and low-carbon economy, consistent with Vietnam’s Net Zero commitment by 2050. Each craft village, upon becoming a link in the EIP chain, will no longer be an environmental burden but a sustainable economic asset, where traditional values are preserved and developed alongside a high quality of life and environment.

Bac Ninh can become a model for Vietnam’s green industrial transition, proving that economic development and environmental protection are entirely achievable in harmony.