Green industrial parks
Introduction
An eco-industrial park (EIP) is an industrial park in which companies "cooperate with each other and with the local community", in an attempt to reduce waste and pollution, efficiently share resources (such as information, materials, water, energy, infrastructure and natural resources), and help achieve sustainable development", with the intention of increasing economic profits&action=edit&redlink=1 "Profit (economy) (not yet drafted)") and improving environmental quality"). A PEI can also be planned, designed and constructed in such a way that it is easier for companies to cooperate, and the results of a project are more economically sound and developer friendly.
The eco-industrial park manual[1] states that "An Eco-Industrial Park is a community of manufacturing and service companies located on common property. Members seek improved environmental, economic and social performance through collaboration in the management of environmental and resource issues."
Based on the concepts of industrial ecology, collaborative strategies not only include product synergy, but also logistics and facilities, shipping and receiving, shared parking, green technology purchasing blocks, various green building partners, energy systems, and local education and resource centers. This is an application of a systems approach, in which processes/activities are designed and integrated to address multiple objectives.
PEIs can be developed as "green projects", where the eco-industrial intention is present in all phases of planning, design and construction of the site, or developed through modernizations and new strategies in existing industrial developments.
Examples
"Industrial symbiosis" is a related but limited concept in which companies in a region collaborate to use by-products between themselves or share resources. In Kalundborg, Denmark, a symbiosis network links a 1500MW coal-fired power plant with the community and other companies. Surplus heat from this power plant is used to heat 3,500 homes, plus a nearby fish farm, the sludge of which is then sold as fertilizer. Steam from the power plant It is sold to Novo Nordisk, a pharmaceutical and enzyme manufacturer, as well as a Statoil-branded plant. This reuse of heat reduces thermal pollution. Additionally, a sulfur dioxide byproduct used to flush the power plant contains gypsum, which is sold to a drywall manufacturer.[2].
The industrial symbiosis in Kalundborg was not created as a top-down initiative, but evolved gradually. As environmental regulations became stricter, companies were motivated to reduce the cost of compliance, and convert their byproducts into economical products.