Raymond P. Côté

Designing eco-industrial parks: a synthesis of some experiences

Abstract Sustainability requires a consideration of the social or community dimension as well as ecological integrity and economic efficiency. Further, ecological systems emphasize interaction and interdependence. Definitions of eco-industrial parks have begun to address this by referring to them as communities of business. The paper describes a number of initiatives, particularly in the United States and Canada. The types of interactions among businesses and between businesses and the community are described and initiatives are categorized as engineering or self-designing. The paper lists 11 characteristics of eco-industrial parks which are emerging from the existing projects.

Industrial parks as ecosystems

Industrial ecology and metabolism provide a conceptual framework for the transformation of our production and consumption system into a transition toward sustainable development. This is consistent with the expressed views of a wide range of industrial and business associations. Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, provides an opportunity to investigate the application of the concept to small businesses. The Park is a diverse assemblage of more than 1200 businesses. A survey of 278 of those businesses indicates strong support for changing business practices. Preliminary research has resulted in developing a set of principles, strategies and guidelines for designing and operating industrial parks as ecosystems. A second phase of the research will encourage and assess symbiotic relationships among businesses and evaluate the effectiveness of various information transfer mechanisms based in the Burnside Cleaner Production Centre.

Assessment of the National Eco‐Industrial Park Standard for Promoting Industrial Symbiosis in China

Eco-industrial park (EIP) projects have become more prevalent in China. In order to evaluate the performance of such innovative projects, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has set up a new national standard for EIPs, the first of its kind globally. This article examines the applicability and feasibility of the indicator system established in the standard. It first presents the details of this new standard. Then benefits and challenges in the standards application are analyzed. The analysis shows that the new indicators are eco-efficiency-oriented and do not address the essence of the EIP. In the future, there will be a need to revise this set of indicators by considering the principles of eco-industrial development and local realities in order to ensure that the indicators are indeed used to promote sustainable development of industrial parks.

Supporting pillars for industrial ecosystems

Abstract Burnside Industrial Park encompasses an area of 1200 hectares with 1300 businesses and approximately 20 000 people in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Although never designed and constructed as a functioning ecosystem, the park contains many of the elements and characteristics of such a system, with diversity, resiliency, stability and integrity. Webs must be strengthened into nested hierarchies of subsystems guided by information functioning in positive and negative feedback systems. In ecological terms, a wider range of symbionts, metamorphs, polymorphs and hybrids must be established or developed. Support systems that will facilitate an ecosystem approach include an information network and clearing-house, a materials exchange network, environmental audit team, an educational program, an applied research program and a balance of regulatory and economic instruments.

Scavengers and decomposers in an eco-industrial park

SUMMARY Industrial ecology is an approach to industrial development which emphasizes material cycling and webs of producers, consumers, scavengers and decomposers, and encourages resource conservation and waste prevention that leads to improved efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability. This article first introduces the functions and roles of scavengers and decomposers in the natural ecosystem. Then, by using this natural system metaphor, it studies how the industrial world can realize closing loop operation by encouraging the development of scavenger and decomposer businesses. A case study of Burnside Industrial Park is employed to further help the reader understand how to analyze the roles and functions of different businesses in an industrial system.

Evaluating the applicability of the Chinese eco-industrial park standard in two industrial zones

SUMMARY Eco-industrial park projects have become increasingly popular in China. Because of their rapid proliferation and the lack of accepted and common characteristics, the performance of these projects has been difficult to evaluate. In 2006, the former State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China became the first national organization to establish a national standard for eco-industrial parks. This paper aims to explore the applicability and feasibility of the selected indicators. First, it presents the details of this new standard. Second, the feasibility of the new standard is explored by applying the indicators to two industrial zones in China. The benefits and challenges faced in applying the indicators are then discussed in relation to the literature. The analysis demonstrates that the new indicators have a fairly narrow focus on eco-efficiency, rather than a broad objective of ecologically sustainable industrial development. Nevertheless, the Chinese standard is a useful beginning. In future, the authors suggest that this set of indicators be revised to add ecological dimensions that will help promote more sustainable development of industrial parks.

Diversity and Connectance in an Industrial Context

The ecological metaphor of industrial ecology is a proven conceptual tool, having spawned an entire field of interdisciplinary research that explores the intimate linkages between industry and its underlying natural systems. Besides its name and a number of borrowed concepts, however, industrial ecology has no formal relationship with the ecological sciences. This study explores the potential for further interdisciplinary collaboration by testing whether some of the same quantitative analysis techniques used in community ecology research can have meaning in an industrial context. Specifically, we applied the ecological concepts of connectance and diversity to an analysis of Burnside Industrial Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Our results demonstrate that these ecological tools show promise for use in industrial ecology. We discuss the meaning of connectance and diversity concepts in an industrial context and suggest next steps for future studies. We hope that this research will help to lay the groundwork of an ecologically inspired tool kit for analyzing industrial ecosystems.

Integrating eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness into the design of sustainable industrial systems in China

As an important tool for environment management, eco-efficiency has been widely applied, but eco-effectiveness has only made progress on eco-design and life cycle management in recent years. Few have attempted to integrate eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness into sustainable industrial systems. In a new framework integrating eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness, both concepts can find unique roles and complement each other in industrial ecosystems to dissolve conflicts between industry and the environment. This article provides a case study of China in which eco-efficiency indicators (energy, water and waste utilisation intensity) have demonstrated great progress in China, but eco-efficiency cannot stop the increasing release of pollutants and their accumulating impact on ecological life-support systems. China must integrate eco-effectiveness and eco-efficiency into concrete sustainable development strategies, questioning whether limited resources are being used correctly. Both eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness are identified as important indicators in the development of sustainable industrial systems. In the framework of sustainable industrial systems, eco-effectiveness must begin to play a more important role.

Diversity in industrial ecosystems

Within the natural world, diversity refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Its complexity is measured in terms of variations at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. It plays a critical role in meeting human needs while maintaining the ecological processes upon which our survival depends. This paper agues that such a natural metaphor should be considered in industrial systems in order to realise sustainable development. This article begins by describing natural biodiversity, emphasising its definition and value, and its maintenance. Next, the paper discusses the rationale and mechanisms for encouraging industrial diversity. The authors suggest that this natural metaphor provides a useful guide on how businesses in an industrial system can evolve towards greater resilience and sustainability.

Towards sustainability: Objectives, strategies and barriers for cleaner production in China

The paper explores the objectives, strategies and barriers to cleaner production (CP) implementation in China. Successful demonstration projects in China have shown that CP is a strategy for reducing pollution and costs, increasing competitiveness and achieving an integrated balance between economic and environmental benefits. As such, it is an inevitable choice and important contribution to sustainable development. However, it has not progressed enough as a strategy for continuous improvement since its effects are limited to industrial sectors or regions. CP implementation can be assisted by further popularization, policy system improvement, perception and awareness raising and technology innovation. These dimensions are the key tasks and incentives for all levels of government, enterprises and social organizations in moving toward sustainability.