Reflections on implementing industrial ecology through eco-industrial park development

Gibbs, David; Deutz, Pauline

Abstract

This paper investigates whether eco-industrial parks (EIPs) offer possibilities to implement sustainable development policies. EIPs are based upon industrial ecology principles that suggest industrial systems can operate in a similar fashion to natural ecological systems. Drawing upon a survey of all identifiable EIPs in the USA and Europe and in-depth interview surveys of 16 EIPs, the research discovered few examples of networking between firms or processes using wastes and materials recycling. Most EIPs are at a very early stage of development, where linkages are potential rather than real. The problems encountered in developing EIPs from scratch suggests that a more fruitful approach is to build upon existing and potential linkages within a locality, assisted by a pro-active policy to encourage interchanges. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Gibbs, D., & Deutz, P. (2007). Reflections on implementing industrial ecology through eco-industrial park development. Journal of cleaner production, 15(17), 1683-1695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2007.02.003

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Apr 20, 2007
• Publication Date: 2007-11
• Deposit Date: Apr 13, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Cleaner Production
• Print ISSN: 0959-6526
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 17
• Pages: 1683-1695
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2007.02.003
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3597768