Critical success and limiting factors for eco-industrial parks: global trends and Egyptian context

The trend of clustering industries into regional estates or cities was adopted in the mid 1900’s. At present, the number of industrial estates in the world is estimated to be between 12,000 and 20,000 (UNEP, 1997) and this trend is continuing to rise in both developed and developing countries. The implementation of the EIP concept continues to evolve especially with the environmental threats and impact on climate change that industries pose. However, there is not yet a fully developed EIP that is operating; although some successful examples of regional by-product exchanges are functioning ( [Lowe, 2001], [Peck, 2002], [Lowe et?al., 1995] and [Chertow, 2000]). Actually, a significant number of projects have failed or have abandoned the goal of becoming an EIP. Furthermore the current body of knowledge on industrial ecology is not sufficient to provide practical solutions to the obstacles facing EIPs.This paper is based upon the Ph.D. Doctoral thesis research of D. Sakr. It was prepared to examine means to improve the uptake of cleaner production & industrial symbiosis in industrial areas in Middle East & North Africa Region focusing on Egypt as a case study. An extensive literature review was performed on eco-industrial development projects’ experiences around the world, in order to identify the critical driving and limiting factors for EIPs. This paper summarizes the lessons learned from worldwide EIP experiences as a basis for the planning and implementation of future EIPs. The paper reflects as well upon the Egyptian context for the identified EIP success and limiting factors. The identified key success and limiting factors are: the creation of symbiotic relationship, information sharing and awareness, financial benefits, organizational structure, and legal and regulatory framework.     

Fostering collaboration between universities regarding regional sustainability initiatives – the University of Maribor

This paper presents the current position and role of the University of Maribor (UM) in linking stakeholders, in order to achieve sustainable regional development. A strategic approach is proposed for facilitating collaboration of the UM with regional development agencies, the local community and industry, based on collaborative learning and development. Furthermore, elements contributing to a successful learning partnership are identified together with the barriers. The results show that regional stakeholders (university, municipality, NGOs, and companies) are commonly engaged in a sustainable regional development, but their activities are not sufficiently linked. The strategic approach, and collaborative learning have led to many on-going SD projects within the University of Maribor. Room for improvement exists, regarding external university collaboration, especially in the fields of research, knowledge transfer, technological development, dissemination of information, education, and innovations.     

Energy service company and financial market development: experiences of the Global Environment Facility

Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and the energy market for ESCO financing have been developing since 1976 when oil prices increased dramatically. ESCOs’ services cover projects in many energy areas, including energy extraction, power generation, energy conversion, transportation, power transmission, energy consumption, project financing, energy project audits, monitoring, and energy savings verification. In developing countries, there are many barriers in the energy market that are preventing ESCOs from developing. These barriers include lack of appropriate policy, financial mechanisms, and local capacities for ESCO development and management. Over the past 20 years, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) financed 39 ESCO projects in 25 countries and regions to remove these barriers. The results of these projects show that some countries, such as China, are very successful in ESCO development, but others are not. Different models of ESCOs in different financial markets in various countries are analyzed; and case studies are undertaken for China, India, Ukraine, and Brazil. This article concludes that, while developing financial markets for ESCOs, countries need to consider (1) initiating national government policy to stop energy subsidies and to reform energy pricing, (2) establishing a real, market based financial mechanism for ESCOs, (3) involving the private sector in project co-financing, (4) creating incentives to ESCOs in the market by investing part of government revenue from energy tax, and (5) incentivizing ESCOs by government corporate tax exemption.     

The social and environmental costs associated with water management practices in state environmental protection projects in Xinjiang,China

Since the late 1970s the central government of China has initiated several ecological environmental protection projects. The most significant of these has been the tui geng huan lin (returning cultivated land to forest and pasture) project in operation since the late 1990s. China's northwest region is characterized by lack of water resources, yet such resources are of vital importance. There is scant discussion in the literature (including in China) on the linkages between the environmental protection projects and water management practices. This paper analyses how central government environmental protection projects are interpreted in the local setting, and how local water management policies and practices correspond to the projects. The conclusion is that local water management policies and practices are interlinked with both central government and local government policies on the environmental protection projects, and a new process for the redistribution of water has been established. When equity and social costs are not factored into the planning of new environmental protection projects, the social costs may be as high as the environmental costs.     

Cleaner production and industrial ecosystems, a Dutch experience

This article opens briefly with the recent discussions about the effectiveness of pollution prevention. As pollution prevention and cleaner production are important elements of industrial ecology, the different definitions and approaches of industrial ecology as a term also need clarity. The major part of this article reflects the first results of the cleaner production and industrial ecology concepts, applied in an industrial ecosystem project (INES) in the Rotterdam harbour area. In this industrial area with many refineries and (petro)chemical facilities, the possibilities for companies to reuse waste streams, by-products and energy from each other was researched. The project was initiated by an industrial association. Sixty-nine members of the industrial association joined the INES project and provided confidential information about their resources, products and waste streams to the research team. Based on this information, 15 projects were designed. The selected three projects for further feasibility studies showed the potency to reduce the use of energy, water and bio sludge significantly.     

Industrial symbiosis: the case for market coordination

Despite the fact that all successful, documented cases of industrial symbiosis to this day have been self-organizing, some authors and development officials have suggested that increased public planning might deliver better results in this respect than spontaneously evolved market coordination. This paper takes an historical approach to suggest that comprehensive planning is unlikely to live up to the expectations of its proponents.The essay is structured as follows. The first section provides short case studies of industrial symbiosis in highly different economic and institutional settings, the essentially free-market regime of Victorian England and communist Hungary (1948–1989). The available evidence suggests that market coordination proved much more favorable to the emergence of industrial symbiosis, despite the elaboration of a comprehensive policy to that effect in Hungary. Insights derived from the so-called “Austrian” critique of central planning are then used to explain this paradox. The analysis presented suggests that the Hungarian planners’ failure was not so much the result of the bad implementation of sound policies, but the logical outcome of a top-down approach’s shortcomings. Policy implications for the public planning of industrial symbiosis in a mixed economy are then derived and the case for self-organization is found more compelling. The creation of more innovative institutions that will force firms to “internalize their externalities” while leaving them the necessary freedom to innovate is viewed as an urgently needed and promising path towards increased, sustainable reuse of industrial by-products.     

Millennium development goals and clean development: synergies in the Pacific

This paper addresses synergies between the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and considers how the CDM can facilitate the MDGs in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). To date, only 6 CDM projects have been registered in PICs, highlighting the ‘lose-lose’ business case that applies to this type of project development. This paper identifies constraints on and opportunities for CDM project development in PICs, and proposes a range of specific policy reform measures that could alter existing negative investment profiles. Key findings are that small-scale agricultural projects providing renewable energy from existing sources of biomass (currently seen as waste) are ideal candidates for CDM investment in PICs, and that the single most important reform to facilitate CDM activity and contribute to achieving the MDGs would be the implementation of a regional approach to CDM administration, in which a regional body became the designated CDM Authority for all states in the region. This would offset investment risk, improve governance transparency, and facilitate a targeted approach to sustainable development activities in the Pacific region.     

Pollution prevention and industrial transformation Evoking structural changes within companies

Pollution prevention has developed as an attractive method for improving the environmental performance of companies. Often the concept is promoted in a project format, for instance in a regional perspective or for a specific sector of industry. This article analyzes the contribution of pollution prevention projects to the transformation of industry. Different formats that have been carried out in the Netherlands during the last 8 years are evaluated in terms of direct results (implemented measures and their effects) and long-term effects. The main issue in this article is what contribution pollution prevention has in evoking structural changes towards more sustainable behavior in companies. The general conclusion is that pollution prevention is at least potentially a powerful and interesting concept. The current formats used to promote pollution prevention show some serious deficits, especially in failing to elicit a learning process within participating companies. The trend towards the use of quickscans as a prevention method is worrying in this respect. Some recommendations are given to improve future projects.     

Industrial symbiosis and the policy instruments of sustainable consumption and production

Industrial symbioses (ISs) and eco-industrial parks (EIPs) are key concepts of industrial ecology (IE). The aim of ISs and EIPs is to minimise inefficient material and energy use by utilising local by-product and energy flows. Industrial symbioses tend to develop through spontaneous action of economic actors, for gaining of economic benefit, but these systems can be designed and promoted via policy instruments as well. A literature review showed that national programmes for eco-industrial parks can be found in different parts of the world. In the action programmes and other sustainable consumption and production (SCP) policy documents of the EU, on the other hand, industrial symbioses gain less recognition as a path to enhanced sustainable production. In this article, we consider this and also analyse how the evolution and environmental performance of an industrial symbiosis system centred on a Finnish pulp and paper mill have been affected by SCP policy instruments. With regard to the system forming the subject of the case study, and Finnish industrial systems in general, policy instruments have succeeded in reducing emissions but not in systematically encouraging operators toward symbiosis-like activities. All in all, few studies exist on the overall impact of policy instruments promoting design of eco-industrial parks. It is not self-evident that symbiosis-like production systems would be sustainable in every case, as the background assumptions for political promotion of EIPs suggest. We concluded that industrial symbioses should be analysed and developed on a life cycle basis, with documentation of the real environmental benefits due to efficient resource use and decreased emissions in comparison to standalone production. ISs can then bring eco-competitiveness to companies in relation to SCP tools, such as environmental permits, ecolabels, and future product regulation based on the Ecodesign Directive in Europe. Indirect encouragement of symbiosis through land-use regulation and planning, in such a way that material fluxes between companies are possible both in operations and in financial terms, may prove effective. The same holds for waste policies that encourage increased reuse of a company’s waste by other enterprises.     

Ecoprofit-Styria-prepare Thirteen pollution prevention case studies in the Styrian industry

The paper focuses upon the organization of a federal state-funded pollution prevention project in the Styrian industry. The project includes 13 companies from the textile, pulp and paper, machine building, wood working and printed circuit board manufacturing industries, covering most of the sectors and sizes in the Styrian industry. It started in January 1994 and will last for one year. It will demonstrate the possibilities of pollution prevention and the need for further research work. This project will make use of the methods and tools that were refined in the Austrian Prepare project. As a first step, a systematic balance of all the inputs and outputs of a company is made, after which the weak points and inefficiencies of material and energy use are identified and the options for improvements, both economical and ecological, are defined. Consequently, modifications in products and production lead to a situation with less waste and emissions. The preliminary lessons from these projects are presented: as a rule, the utilities (consumption of process materials and water, cleaning, energy, preparatory and finishing steps) are treated as black boxes and usually represent a considerable optimization potential. In these areas especially there is usually a lack of information and coordination as well as a need for a systematic and comprehensive approach. Leadership in the company and creative consultants are needed for starting lasting successful pollution prevention projects.     

The concept of sustainable islands: cleaner production, industrial ecology and the network paradigm as preconditions for regional sustainable development

This paper introduces a bottom-up approach towards sustainability which is called the Island approach. The basic assumption of ‘Islands of Sustainability’ is that development towards sustainability can be introduced starting from small sustainable regions. An Island is an area where sustainability is reached locally. Key points to create a sustainable region are communication activities, such as exchange of matter, energy, information, culture, capital and persons within the regional network and with the environment. One of the main theses is that sustainability is linked to the complexity of the regional network. The intensity, the speed and the comprehensive of internal and external interactions, as well as the connectedness of the regional network, have to be changed in order to reach local sustainability.Relations between different approaches such as the Cleaner Production approach, the Industrial Ecology approach and the Island approach are investigated. It is assumed that a combination of these approaches will lead to sustainability, which might not be the case with one approach in isolation. All concepts are based on the new Network Paradigm, which is a reduction of the holistic world view. Cooperation on different hierarchical levels, from the interfirm level up to the interregional level, becomes an important part of behaviour. Networks, such as information networks or matter-flow networks, are introduced and become most important with regard to sustainability.     

Electrolytic manganese metal industry experience based China’s new model for cleaner production promotion

Cleaner production has long been viewed as an environmental management tool in China and many other countries. This understanding in recent years has become a major barrier that prevents CP from playing its full functions. This article introduces the approach, results and result dissemination of a project set up by the central government of China aiming at controlling the serious pollution of the electrolytic manganese metal industry. Based on experience of this project and our practical experiences of CP audits in more than 200 companies we propose a new model for CP promotion. A preliminary definition of the new model is presented.     

水生植物在河道生态修复工程中应用研究

近年来,随着水体修复技术的不断进步和创新,水生植物在河道生态修复工程中得到快速发展及广泛的应用。作为河道水体生态修复技术的重要组成部分,水生植物能否成功应用,往往是整个工程成败的关键。基于已往工程实践经验的总结以及工程实践应用的角度,文章论述了在河道生态修复工程中,水生植物的设计、施工和后期维护管理的技术要点和注意事项,对于水生植物在河道生态修复工程中的应用有一定指导意义。     

Adoption of the low carbon society policy in locally-governed urban areas: experience from Thai municipalities

Low Carbon Society (LCS) has emerged as a holistic approach to reduce carbon (C) emissions that result from human activities. Although there has been successful implementation of the LCS approach in some cities of developed countries, it is more difficult in developing countries like Thailand. The objectives of this paper are to present drivers and barriers affecting the abilities of three regional cities of Thailand to combine LCS activities with their strategies. Lessons learned from this study will allow for sharing these experiences with municipalities in other developing countries. This research was based on interviews of key informants representing state agencies and local public service associations. It was found that no particular driver significantly influenced local government agencies to implement LCS activities. Conversely, there were financial and managerial barriers to implementing (C) reduction activities. This paper identifies the need for more specific and tailor-made assistance to allow urban municipalities to shift towards LCS activities by considering their individual strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, stakeholders’ understanding of the advantages of implementing LCS activities within locally governed areas was found to be critical for success. The paper concludes that climate change mitigation activities not only reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also produce tangible benefits such as improvement the quality of life of people. Such an approach can motivate stakeholders to pursue LCS as a shared goal.     

Global Environment Facility investments in the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances

Stratospheric ozone depletion threatens human health and the global environment. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) set aggressive timelines for countries to phase-out products and organic chemicals that were causing rapid ozone depletion in the Antarctic stratosphere. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), established in 1991, is the largest multilateral funder of environmental protection projects and provides financial support for implementation of the Montreal Protocol. This paper summarizes GEF investments to address ozone-depleting substances (ODS) in Countries with Economies in Transition (CEITs), presents case studies from representative countries, and discusses lessons learned. Complementing the work of the Multilateral Fund that supports developing country Parties of the Montreal Protocol, the GEF provides financial support to CEIT’s to address ODS phase-out targets and timelines. These investments include technology development and transfer, outreach and training, institution building, and programs to phase-out ODS. Working with partners in the public and private sectors, the GEF has allocated approximately US210 million, leveraging another US210 million, leveraging another US250 million in co-financing, for 28 ODS phase-out projects in 18 CEITs. GEF ODS project investments in CEITs have contributed to Protocol success by phasing-out 20,000 ozone depletion potential (ODP) Megagrams (Mg) of consumption and 29,000 ODP Mg of production. Among the GEF’s most significant efforts to eliminate ODS are projects that transfer technologies and strengthen institutional capabilities of partner countries. These projects have enabled the installation of non-ODS technologies, adoption of best practices by the private sector, and provided CEITs with the legislative and policy framework necessary to sustain ODS phase-out. Almost 25 years after its establishment, the Montreal Protocol with support from financial mechanisms such as the GEF, is a successful model for addressing global environmental challenges.     

The importance of assessment tools in promoting cleaner production in the metal finishing industry

Various cleaner production (CP) audits have been conducted in the South African metal finishing industry. These studies have been successful in effecting changes to the general status of the local metal finishing industry. In this paper, the initiatives undertaken by a Danish government sponsored project are detailed. The project included the conducting of in-plant assessments, using a tailor-made tool for CP benchmarking. Details on this tool's operations and typical results are presented. Typical assessments indicated potential water savings of 78%, with chemical savings of approximately 30%. The plant modifications undertaken in order to achieve the CP objectives, are described. The affects of these initiatives on local municipal wastewater treatment works are detailed with specific reference to significant reductions in incoming wastewater-borne heavy metals. The main challenge for companies has been data retrieval for the tool and overcoming social barriers for implementing the improvement options. Recommendations include redesigning the assessment tool.     

Bio-Energy Systems at the Community Level in the South Pacific: Impacts & Monitoring

Read, Sims and Adams (2001) detailed a case study for bio-energy implementation in a notional small Pacific Island and elaborated a theoretical model for assessing and simulating the socio-economic impacts of a particular bio-energy system designed to produce an exportable liquid fuel along with rural electricity supplies. An important conclusion was that there is no silver-bullet ‘one size fits all’ bio-energy system suited to all situations. Moreover, a system appropriate at one place and time may become obsolete with exogenous technological advance and/or as a community advances down its own development pathway. In order to understand how these issues interact in practice, a selected set of implementation projects is reviewed highlighting scale, capacity, community, technology, governmental policy and the concept of critical mass, as factors that are central to the successful development of the bioenergy sector. Through this evaluation, it is shown that: 1.A significant biomass supply resource base often exists locally in the form of agricultural and forestry residues on which modern bioenergy programmes could be initiated. The use of biomass energy flow charts are an important tool for evaluating the potential of local and national resources. 2. Without an integrated multi-disciplinary, multi-sector and whole-systems approach to the implementation of bioenergy schemes, long term success is likely to remain elusive. 3. There is a requirement at the national level for a coordinated approach with strong policy signals that overcome perverse and practical obstacles.     

浅谈大型水利工程对生态的影响

大型水利工程一般指为当地提供防洪除涝、供排水等大型水利枢纽工程,涉及地域范围较广,对生态影响往往具有宏观影响、区域性影响等特性,其生态环境影响与民生息息相关。本文以黑龙江省最大的湿地——扎龙湿地附近的“三江平原近期防洪治涝工程”和“引嫩扩建骨干一期工程”两个国家“十一五”重点大型水利工程为例,简要论述了大型水利工程建设对生态环境影响评价中常见的难点以及应该采取的对策,从而更好地实现水利工程建设与生态保护的和谐发展。     

Industrial symbiosis contributing to more sustainable energy use - an example from the forest industry in Kymenlaakso, Finland

Industrial symbiosis (IS) studies the physical flows of materials and energy in local industrial systems using a systems approach. In this study the total fuel and energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions are calculated for an ‘industrial park’ operating in the same manner as an IS. Moreover the relevance of industrial symbiosis, particularly one centred on pulp and paper manufacturing, in moving towards more sustainable fuel consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions is discussed. The system is compared to hypothetical stand-alone production. Moreover, possibilities to reduce the energy use and total greenhouse gas emissions of the park are identified.     

Forest carbon management,the greenhouse effect and electric utilities

Electric utilities in the US have initiated forestry projects to conserve energy and to offset carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. In 1995, 40 companies raised US$2.5 million to establish the non-profit UtiliTree Carbon Company which is now sponsoring eight projects representing a mix of rural tree planting, forest preservation, forest management and research efforts at both domestic (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oregon) and international sites (Belize and Malaysia). The projects include extensive external verification. Such forestry projects — properly documented, monitored and verified — should be a component of domestic and international strategies to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, due to GHG benefits, cost-effectiveness and many other environmental benefits (e.g., related to habitat, erosion and biodiversity). These projects on average are projected to manage CO₂ at a cost of about US $1 per ton. Experts have determined through a series of technical workshops and projects that GHG benefits can be accurately quantified for most types of forestry projects and, in fact, forestry projects in general present no greater challenges than energy-related projects. Near-term policy decision-making related to CO₂ management via forestry is discussed.