Empirical Study On Eco-transformation In Chinese Chemical Industrial Parks

The chemical sector in China is pursuing ambitious targets in terms of sustainability and competitiveness in domestic and international markets.Restructuring and introducing a circular economy model are being touted as powerful drivers that are of paramount importance in the transformation of the chemical industry landscape.There is a large body of chemical industrial parks in China.Different chemical industrial parks have demonstrated to have varying levels of achievement in the implementation of environmentally friendly business models.This can be linked to the size and performance level of chemical companies,the basic infrastructure of the park,the enforcement of standards and regulations,and the level of investment in better management and environmental protection,among other factors.This study attempts to shed light on how the development of sustainability has been improved in Chinese chemical industrial parks.The primary purpose of this study is to identify the key actions and policies implemented in three concrete cases that have promoted a transition from a traditional industrial model towards eco-industry.First,empirical study of three chemical industrial parks is presented for the purposes of this study.The three parks have been chosen based on their intrinsic characteristics: the Shangyu Industrial Area(HSEDA)which mainly houses small-andmedium private chemical companies dedicated primarily to the production of fine chemicals,the Jiaxing Port Economic Development Zone(JPEDZ)characterized by medium-and-large scale companies focusing on synthetic materials,and the Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park(SCIP)characterized by a top-down planning of eco-industrial development and large number of international chemical companies.Second,a general qualitative and quantitative assessment of key metrics is carried out in order to investigate the evolution of their performance and to explore the decisiveness of the implementation of policies on the eco-transformation of the chemical industrial parks.The assessment includes two economic performance indicators,eight environmental performance indicators,four environmental practices and work performance indicators,and three social performance indicators.Third,the evolution of environmental management policies implemented in HSEDA during the period 1998-2014 is carefullystudied,aiming to identify key best-practiced measures carried out in the park that can be copied and promoted in other chemical industrial parks with similar characteristics.It can be concluded that the eco-transformation in the three chemical industrial parks is obvious.Such transition,in great part,is supported by stricter-than-ever policies implemented by the government.The commitment of the administrative committees in each chemical industrial park to enforcing the policies is also a factor of great relevance.The pace of development in the three chemical industrial parks is dictated by the capacity of chemical companies to comply with new requirements and improve safety and management systems.It is noteworthy to mention that the healthy development of the three chemical industrial parks has not only brought about economic and environmental benefits,but also has substantially impacted the development of local communities.The results of this study suggest that eco-transformation in chemical industrial parks can be achieved with the effective application of both short-term and long-term policies tailored to the situation of a particular chemical industrial park.The sustainability assessment metrics system can be further developed for a deeper analysis of the performance of industrial parks in areas left unexplored in this work.