Digital transformation, ESG practice: The door to global integration

(Dan Tri) - If digital transformation helps increase productivity, reduce costs, and enhance competitiveness, ESG is the standard for businesses to affirm sustainable value with investors, partners, and consumers.

Digital transformation is no longer just a trend but has become an essential driving force in today's era, helping businesses improve their competitiveness through automation, resource optimization and performance improvement.

Going beyond just using software or automating processes, digital transformation is gradually being deeply integrated into long-term business strategies. An effective data management system, the application of artificial intelligence in analyzing consumer trends, or blockchain to control the supply chain - all are becoming the "new standard" of modern businesses.

While digital transformation helps increase internal strength, ESG is a mandatory criterion for businesses to step into the global playing field. ESG is not simply social responsibility reports, but has become an index measuring the level of sustainability and transparency of businesses in the eyes of international investors.

Markets such as the EU, the US, and Japan are tightening regulations on ESG standards in the supply chain. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a typical example, showing that domestic businesses are forced to go green if they do not want to be “left out of the survival game”.

Not only does ESG cover the environmental aspect, it also includes criteria on employee rights, gender equality, diversity and transparent governance. These are factors that help businesses build a responsible brand image, create trust with customers and partners, and attract green investment capital - which is increasingly taking up a large proportion of the international financial market.

Mr. Vo Van Huy Hoang - Director of Strategy and Digital Transformation, Vietnam Soymilk Company Vinasoy, said that no field is an exception. Whether it is manufacturing, finance or services, ESG helps businesses operate transparently, responsibly and increase long-term competitiveness.

In fact, digital transformation and ESG are not two parallel journeys, but can support and complement each other. Experts in the field of sustainable development consulting and green transformation believe that ESG acts as a directional pull, while digitalization creates a push to help businesses accelerate.

In the sustainable development roadmap according to ESG standards, digital technology plays an important role, supporting businesses to effectively manage data, make transparent decisions and accurately measure ESG indicators. Thanks to that, businesses not only meet the expectations of the market and investors but also create a foundation for long-term growth, linking economic benefits with social responsibility.

Specifically, digitalization helps businesses measure ESG performance more accurately, from carbon emissions inventory, monitoring sustainable raw materials to transparent information disclosure according to international standards. Conversely, ESG is also a driving force for businesses to improve processes, invest in clean technology and smart production models.

Some large enterprises in Vietnam have begun to combine both elements. For example, in the textile industry, a sector that is under pressure on emissions and labor, many enterprises have invested in ERP systems, automated production, and applied standards such as WRAP and BSCI to meet the requirements of international partners.

Despite the huge potential, the journey to integrate digital transformation and ESG is not easy. Many small and medium-sized enterprises still view ESG as a “compliance burden” and digital transformation as a “luxury playground”.

According to the 2025 SEA CFO Agenda 2025 survey results recently released by Deloitte's Southeast Asia CFO Program, despite understanding the importance and urgency of ESG, only 23% of respondents said they have integrated ESG into their operating model, and the majority are only in the exploratory or testing phase. 80% of the reasons for this reality come from barriers related to resources and human resources, as well as standards for measuring ESG impact.

Following the success of the first Vietnam ESG Forum, Dan Tri newspaper officially launched the Vietnam ESG Forum 2025 with the theme " Science and technology and driving force for sustainable development".

This forum will focus on one of the key factors to promote sustainable development in the new era: science and technology.

Within the framework of the forum, on June 24 in Hanoi , Dan Tri newspaper organized a workshop with the theme "Digital transformation solutions and ESG practices - Key for businesses to integrate into the global economy". This is one of the satellite events "heating up" the Vietnam ESG Forum 2025.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/chuyen-doi-so-thuc-hanh-esg-canh-cua-huong-den-hoi-nhap-toan-cau-20250622113426029.htm