Craft villages in Vietnam are at small scale, almost at household scale. They use poor technology and do not have waste treatment systems. People have poor awareness of the environmental protection. These are the main reasons for increasing environmental pollution in craft villages. At present, the government has difficulties in finding suitable solutions to protect the environment.

According to statistics, every day 20-39 tonnes of garbage is eliminated from craft villages. This is untreated garbage which is thrown in people’s houses and on the streets. In some village making cakes such as Doan Ket and Hung Lo in the city of Viet Tri, Phu Tho Province, garbage has serious influences on people’s life.

In fact, Phu Tho Province has implemented 30 models of cleaner production. However, these programs have not attracted participation of industrial and craft production cooperatives and craft villages which have made important contribution to local industrial development and created jobs for local people. Because there is a lack of policies on application of cleaner production in craft villages and cooperatives, therefore, information on cleaner production still remain insufficient.

The reality proves that if consequences of environmental pollution are effectively overcome, craft villages can stably develop. Therefore, application of cleaner production methods not only helps craft villages save a large amount of materials but also remarkably reduces harms to the environment, raises people incomes and stabilizes their life.

At present, people in Phu Tho Province want to assess cleaner production. However, how can they assess to cleaner production and how cleaner production methods are applied. There is a need for appropriate authorities to pay attention to and have concrete policies and financial supports to craft villages so that cleaner production methods are effectively applied.

By Nguyen Duyen