TPBank emits 0.87 tons of CO2e per billion VND in revenue

Share stories about sustainable development at Vietnam ESG Forum 2025 On the afternoon of December 22, Mr. Nguyen Hung, General Director of TPBank, emphasized measurement in implementation. ESG stands for Environmental (E), Social (S) and Governance (G) factors.

To measure the above factors, for example greenhouse gases, TPBank estimates the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of revenue. This index was first announced by them in this year’s sustainable development report, at 0.87 tons of CO2e per 1 billion VND in revenue, down sharply from 1.16 tons last year.

This reduction is due to improvements in internal operations, including business travel by plane, among other factors. For example, the efficiency of energy consumption, gasoline, and paper on their profits decreased sharply. According to the inventory, in 2024, they use 2,700 kW and 365 liters of gasoline per billion of profit, a sharp decrease compared to 3,200 kW and 485 liters last year.

To reduce emissions during travel, the bank recommends that employees plan reasonable routes and travel schedules, and choose fuel-efficient vehicles, or increase online meetings.

“TPBank calculates how many readers and how many “clicks” a process needs to evaluate the ability to save and optimize,” Mr. Hung said. If it only takes a machine a minute while a human needs 10 minutes, the bank will find a way to automate. Besides, each employee needs to understand that their daily behavior is reflecting the organization’s level of ESG implementation.

One factor that helps TPBank reduce emissions is the application of technology. Their LiveBank digital transaction office system meets 90% of transaction needs, while the cost and environmental impact are only 1/10 of a transaction office or branch. However, Mr. Hung admitted that the bank still has to maintain tellers to serve a group of customers who are not ready for digital transformation.

Not only TPBank, 2025 recorded that the banking industry paid more attention to ESG. Vietcombank is a bank that announced greenhouse gas emissions early, at nearly 1.05 tons of CO2e per 1 billion in revenue, a slight decrease compared to last year. BIDV emits more than 60,000 tons of CO2 in 2024 in scope 1 (direct emissions from operations) and 2 (indirect emissions from electricity). They are working with international organizations to measure scope 3 emissions (other indirect emissions).

From practice at TPBank, Mr. Hung said that ESG can only be implemented effectively when integrated into the operating process and measured with data.

Agreeing with the above opinion, Mr. Vo Dinh Trung, Deputy General Director of the Innovation and Sustainability Improvement Center of Duy Tan Plastic Joint Stock Company, affirmed that when the data is reliable enough and the process is optimized, ESG will become the core value of the business, instead of just a slogan.

Dr. Tran Van Khai, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology and Environment Committee, said technology plays a key role in helping businesses make data transparent, improve productivity and access green capital. He also noted that many businesses implement ESG in a “following the trend” style, leading to the risk of “greenwashing”.

Meanwhile, if practically implemented, ESG will become a “passport” to help businesses integrate, attract capital and improve competitiveness.

For the implementation of ESG to be practical, Mr. Khai recommended that the State need to issue a general framework of criteria and guidelines for implementing ESG suitable for each business industry group. Besides, supporting businesses to access green capital with preferential interest rates is necessary. This field requires large investment costs, making implementation difficult for small and medium enterprises.