Nurturing green tech startups: a solution to greening Viet Nam

The textile and garment sector, which contributes about 50 billion USD per year to Vietnam's GDP, consumes approximately 8% of the total energy consumption in the industrial sector and emits around five million tons of CO2 (WWF report 2021). The industry is facing multiple challenges in digitalising and greening production to meet sustainability requirements, while staying competitive in the world market.

To contribute to Viet Nam’s efforts in digital and green transition process, GIZ supports startups that wish to scale up existing and functioning green solutions in the textile industry through a German Government-supported “Green Tech Landing Pad” initiative. It offers a six-month market entry support to startups that have built a successful business model but do not yet have the capacity to scale it up, through capacity building in business development and open innovation, networking and resource mobilisation. The Landing Pad also supports the demonstration and upscaling of tested and proven solutions to the textile industry’s recognised problems.

The case of Flowmetric

Flowmetric, a corporate water risk management platform, was selected by the Landing Pad for pilot implementation of its water risk management tool, and providing support in branding and market linkages, expert connections and data access. Flowmetric's platform, once validated and adopted widely, will help textile businesses better comply with differing international water-use standards by more accurately measuring its water inflows and discharges, assess the financial impact of the identified water risks. The successful pilot will then pave the way for Flowmetric’s expansion, enabling companies to assess the financial impact of the identified water-related risks.

The Green Tech Landing Pad goes beyond technology validation. It empowers startups like Flowmetric by providing useful resources and connections, opening doors to market expansion and sustainable growth. This approach fosters a thriving ecosystem of green innovation within Viet Nam's textile industry, benefiting both people and the environment.

“As a pioneer in water risk management, we faced many challenges in developing our platform; our rapid progress would not have been possible without the support from GIZ, our partner. As a startup with limited resources, we welcomed experience and guidance brought by GIZ. They've empowered us to focus on innovation and given us the tools to launch a full-fledged product.” (Wilder McCoy, co-founder of Flowmetric)