UNIDO’s Session On Eco-Industrial Parks

The 2014 edition of Green Week, the biggest annual conference on European environment policy, will take place from 3 to 5 June at The Egg Conference Centre, Rue Bara, in Brussels.

The theme will be Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency & Waste.

A circular economy is the logical solution for a resource-constrained world. It’s a place where almost nothing is wasted, where the re-use and remanufacturing of products has become standard practice, and where sustainability is built into the fabric of society. In 2014 the Commission will set out new proposals enabling Europe to unlock the potential of the circular economy, underlining the need to change our way of thinking about design. There will also be a focus on better waste management, and on how it can help the EU use its resources more efficiently.

Green Week offers a unique opportunity for debate and exchanges of experience and best practice. Over the past decade, the conference has established itself as an unmissable event for anyone involved with protecting the environment. The 2013 edition attracted some 2.100 participants from government, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, academia and the media.

On 4th June, UNIDO will hold a side session on Eco-industrial parks.

Eco-industrial parks can play a key role in the modern manufacturing landscape, particularly with regard to increasing resource efficiency and reducing the negative environmental consequences of industrial production. As such, eco-industrial parks can provide an important contribution to decoupling economic growth from negative environmental consequences and offer a tool to scale up a ‘greener’ approach to manufacturing. By seeking enhanced environmental, economic, and social performance through collaboration in managing environmental and resource considerations, eco-industrial parks offer a perfect example and tool for the attainment of a circular economy.

This session will outline different approaches on how to move forward in the global development of eco-industrial parks. It will provide a snapshot of the status of eco-industrial park development in 16 different countries and offer strategies to transform existing industrial parks into eco-industrial parks.

Speakers:

• Heinz Leuenberger, Director, Environmental Management Branch, UNIDO
• Guillaume Massard, Scientific Director, SOFIES
• Peter Layburn, Programme Director, National Industrial Symbiosis Programme
• Frank Boons, Associate Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Jyri Arponen, Senior Lead, Business Development, Sitra

Moderator: 

• Christophe Yvetot, UNIDO Representative to the EU

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