Among the new industrial development approaches developed over the last decades to face the continuous increase of environment pollution and the unsustainable use of natural resources, one of the most promising concepts is Industrial Ecology (IE) which is based on the metaphorical relationship between natural ecological and industrial systems. To play a significant role in the path towards sustainable development, Eco- Industrial Areas should go beyond waste and by-products exchange, acting as true industrial communities, characterized by highly cooperative and symbiotic relationships between firms which share all available opportunities to minimise the use of resources and create better products. In this framework, new concepts on the management of industrial areas have been developed, involving non only material/energy flow aspects, but also human dimension, strategic management and policy perspective ones. The introduction of new concepts on the management of industrial areas has its origin in the need to replace the so called “end of pipe” approach, meant as treatment of pollution at the end of productive cycle – typical to the traditional productive systems, with that of more pro-active approaches while maintaining a positive outcome on the whole local economy. Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIAs), equipped and settled with technical and organizational requirements in order to decrease the pollution as well as manage its pressure on environment, can increase their potential economic value and achieve the local communities acceptance. The MEID (Mediterranean Eco-Industrial Development) project intends to follow this approach and tents the road to a complete sustainability, considering economic, environmental and social aspects, developing a support tool for IA managers and reference model for Local Authorities to plan, built and manage SIAs.
The management model of the MEID project: tools for Sustainable Industrial Areas and opportunities for SMEs
Preka, R.;Dominici Loprieno, A.;Tarantini, M.
2012-01-01
Abstract
Among the new industrial development approaches developed over the last decades to face the continuous increase of environment pollution and the unsustainable use of natural resources, one of the most promising concepts is Industrial Ecology (IE) which is based on the metaphorical relationship between natural ecological and industrial systems. To play a significant role in the path towards sustainable development, Eco- Industrial Areas should go beyond waste and by-products exchange, acting as true industrial communities, characterized by highly cooperative and symbiotic relationships between firms which share all available opportunities to minimise the use of resources and create better products. In this framework, new concepts on the management of industrial areas have been developed, involving non only material/energy flow aspects, but also human dimension, strategic management and policy perspective ones. The introduction of new concepts on the management of industrial areas has its origin in the need to replace the so called “end of pipe” approach, meant as treatment of pollution at the end of productive cycle – typical to the traditional productive systems, with that of more pro-active approaches while maintaining a positive outcome on the whole local economy. Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIAs), equipped and settled with technical and organizational requirements in order to decrease the pollution as well as manage its pressure on environment, can increase their potential economic value and achieve the local communities acceptance. The MEID (Mediterranean Eco-Industrial Development) project intends to follow this approach and tents the road to a complete sustainability, considering economic, environmental and social aspects, developing a support tool for IA managers and reference model for Local Authorities to plan, built and manage SIAs.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
