Title: Seeking industrial synergies in the French Chemical Valley territory: a methodological approach for decision support

Authors: Cyrille Harpet; Emilie Gully; Christophe Blavot; Jacques Mehu; Jeanne Bonnet

Addresses: High School of Public Health (EHESP), Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rennes, Sorbonne-Paris-Cité, UMR 5600 EVS-Lyon, France; Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique EHESP, Avenue du professeur Léon Bernard CS 74312, 35043 Rennes France cedex, France ' A3i innovation Enterprise, INEED Rovaltain, 1 rue Marc Seguin, 26958 Valence CEDEX 9, France ' Industrial Ecology Consulting (Ecologie Industrielle Conseil, EIC), 12 rue Francis de Pressensé, 75014 Paris, France ' LGCIE, Laboratoire de Génie Civil et d'Ingénierie Environnementale, National Institute of Applied Sciences (Institut National des Sciences Appliquées or 'INSA'), Bâtiment Coulomb, 20, Avenue A. Einstein, 69621 Villeurbanne cedex, France ' INSAVALOR, Bât CEI1, 66 boulevard Niels Bohr, CS 52132, 69603 Villeurbanne cedex, France

Abstract: The Chemical Valley in France, a territory composed of various industrial platforms, is facing sustainability challenges. These business parks are located in the vicinity of strategic resources (water networks, pipeline networks). Their organisation allows the pooling of services, equipment and resources. Industrial ecology reveals existing and potential industrial synergies. Environmental management services within companies include facility and employee safety, waste management and effluent treatment; however, they do not develop local trade. The aim of the research conducted on an industrial consortium is to create and strengthen synergies between willing industrial entrepreneurs by testing various decision support tools. The proposed methodology in industrial ecology consists in identifying the various flows, defining collective action strategies, then comparing synergy scenarios using a multi-criteria analysis (acid-base exchange, wastewater sludge valorisation).

Keywords: industrial ecology; industrial synergies; material flows; energy flows; methanation; effluent treatment; employee safety; waste management; multicriteria decision analysis; MCDA; industrial metabolism; environmental management; France; business parks; entrepreneurship; decision support tools; acid-base exchange; wastewater sludge valorisation; wastewater treatment.

DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2013.055054

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, 2013 Vol.8 No.1/2, pp.92 - 113

Received: 18 Jun 2012
Accepted: 20 Feb 2013
Published online: 08 Apr 2015 *

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