This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Parques tecnológicos e industriales sostenibles

Gaiker has participated in the Ecopadev project, proposed by the management of the areas on the basis of the concept of industrial ecopark

Sustainable industrial and technological parks

Ekhine Zumeta, Oscar Salas, Leire Barruetabeña.
Gaiker technology centre.01/12/2004

One of the main factors that affect the conditions of quality of life of the cities is the presence of industrial infrastructure in the vicinity of the same. The negative consequences of this location include, among others, the congestion of traffic, destruction of the natural habitat or social problems associated with unemployment and the deterioration of the quality of life. In this context was born the term ecoparc or sustainable industrial park, which aims to define a business community of industry cooperating each other sharing resources to achieve social and environmental improvements of balanced economic development.

The majority of European cities have suffered a significant population increase in recent decades. In particular, the conditions of affected urban centres to the quality of life of about of 80 per cent of the population of Europe. This rapid urban development has been conditioned by generally economic objectives, with few references to other social or environmental considerations.

However, in the framework of the current overall strategy towards a sustainable development of society, the European Union promotes the adoption of criteria and tools to improve the living conditions of citizens in balance with economic progress and respect towards the environment.

One of the main factors that affect the conditions of the urban areas is the nearby presence of industrial infrastructure. In recent decades, industries have been moved from the centres of cities towards the vicinity of these so-called parks of technological and industrial activity. This fact has brought about various adverse consequences, including:

Increase and congestion, especially in certain time slots;
Deterioration of the natural habitat: fragmentations of ecosystems, increased pollution and resource consumption;
Deterioration of the administración-industria link, with the consequent generation of conflicts and the rise of the disinformation of the local authorities on industrial processes;
Social problems associated with unemployment due to changes in economic activity (in the primary sector to the tertiary, etc.).

In this sense, there is the need to design strategies to proper integration of the industrial and technological parks in the comprehensive approach towards sustainable development. These strategies should promote economic growth in the region in line with an improvement in the quality of life of citizens and a respect for the environment.

A consortium of thirteen European players participated in the development of the Ecopadev project

Figure 1: Industrial symbiosis in Kalunborg, Denmark.

In this context, and at European level the project Ecopadev, where Gaiker participates as a researcher was developed and that
It proposes the development of a methodology that facilitates the management of the areas to local authorities on the basis of the concept of industrial ecopark.

In this context was born the term ecoparc or sustainable industrial park. The ecoparks are business communities in which companies cooperate together sharing their resources (information, materials, waste, human resources, energy…) to achieve economic and social improvement by reducing the impact on the environment, obtaining directly an increase of their competitiveness and a reduction in the consumption of resources.

The main outcome of the project is a tool that facilitates the definition of a strategy of management of the parks

This concept, based on the guidelines of the industrial ecology, promotes the creation of eco-efficient or industry selected that are involved in a network of interactions among themselves and in collaboration with the local administration towards a model of sustainable activity.

The first reference to the creation of a system of interactions between various industries located in an area in common is situated in the industrial park Kalundborg (Denmark). The successful experience has led to an increase in the political and administrative support to the implementation of this strategy. However, few are tools Governments need to systematize the implementation of these management systems in industrial areas.

Project Ecopadev

A consortium of thirteen European players (including local authorities, management bodies of parks, r & d centres and universities) participated in the development of the Ecopadev project. Among the experts on various topics, Gaiker contributed to aspects relating to:

Sustainable management of the natural environment and resources, including aspects such as the prevention and minimization of pollution and waste recycling.
Prevention and minimization of risks.
Management of materials and production processes.

There are two types of target audience for the developed methodology: the Governments and/or the bodies responsible for the management and planning of industrial areas and activity technology.

The interaction between administration and industry promoted by the methodology aims to generate various positive results both in the economic and social field and in the environmental field. These positive results potentials include the following:

Job creation through the development of new technologies and the creation of incubators for companies (business incubators).
Promotion of public participation through the impetus of the definition of policies involving the direct involvement of citizens in the progress of the community towards sustainable development.
Creating a connection to schools, different local organizations (NGOs, etc.), universidades… These connections can lead to collaboration between them to generate various activities as a conclusion of practices for the students, summer jobs, seminars and courses, etc.
Provide services, facilities and activities to the local population (days of open doors, restaurants, hotels)
Creation of systems for the exchange of materials between different companies; by-products or waste in a company may be exploitable on other feedstock.
Promote new technologies and the definition of "benchmarking" between companies.
Reducing the consumption of water, raw materials and energy, improving the efficiency of its use.
The needs for infrastructure and transport planning with the gradual growth of the Park, distinct economic growth in the region of the needs of transport of the same.
Reduction of the generation of waste and spill liquid and atmospheric pollutants through the generation of networks for the exchange of by-products among companies and implementation of pollution prevention techniques in origin (eco-design, plans of minimization, etc.).

Figure 2: System

suggestions for improvement.

Elements of the methodology

The main result of the Ecopadev project is a tool of software that facilitates both productivity parks agencies and local authorities the definition of a strategy of management of the Park towards a model of sustainable development.

The tool allows an assessment of the initial situation in every area under study. Based on the weak points detected, the tool provides a set of suggestions for improvement, adapted to the level of progress of each user. It is therefore an interactive system of continuous improvement toward sustainability. These features make it adaptable to any type and characteristic of activity industrial or technological park.

Assessment tool consists of the following elements: a questionnaire for the collection of information, divided into five major thematic blocks, an evaluation of the information system, a compilation of simplified suggestions for improvement, a selection of indicators, a systematic creation of situation scenariosa database of values by default, a system of local references and a glossary of terms to clarify technical terms related to the questionnaire.

A model of structure of internal management for parks was designed with the aim of optimising the use of the computer tool. The proposed structure model recommends the establishment of various working groups with distinct but complementary activities that facilitate the implementation and subsequent maintenance of the strategy towards a model of sustainable development in the Park. In addition, the definition of criteria for the resolution of conflicts of interest that could be created between the different agents involved in the strategy was added.

Ecopadev is an interactive system of continuous improvement toward sustainability

Implementation of the tool

The Ecopadev project, as well as the development of the tool described above, resulted in a validation of the same process. In this sense, were three parks with different characteristics which participated in the evaluation of the effectiveness of the tool: technological park of Tampere (Finland); Park of science and technology of Almada (Portugal) and the technological park of Biscay (Zamudio, Biscay).

The greater found problematic has been the lack of resources of information by the management bodies of parks. However, this difficulty has led to the knowledge of the limits of the existing lack of control to industrial processes, and as a result several systematic search and compilation of information have been implemented.

Another of the main conclusions noted that the existing conflicts between the administración-industria improve apparent with the introduction of the methodology, because results carry a number of useful suggestions for all actors. They also impact positively on the quality of life of the surrounding towns.

In a final synthesis exercise, the participants concluded that the methodology developed, including both the tool and the structures of management proposals, presents a progress towards the implementation of a model of sustainable development in the management of industrial areas.

Taking into account these positive results, is currently working for the dissemination of the methodology developed by other European technological and industrial parks.

Bibliographic references:

Ondategui, JC. Science parks and innovation in Spain; Fifteen years of experience. Industrial Economics, no. 346; 2002. http://www.mcyt.es/asp/publicaciones/revista/numero346/147-160.pdf
Spohn, SG. Eco Industrial Parks Offer Sustainable Base Redevelopment. Smarth Growth Network, 2002.
Eco Industrial Development: Eco-industrial parks, bio-refineries, renewable energy and zero-waste opportunities for Lane Country. Institute for Sustainable Development. University of Oregon. 2003.