ENVIRONMENT

How eco-industrial parks help South Africa to decarbonise

With a large number of South Africa’s industrial parks becoming dilapidated, a NCPC-SA partnership with UNIDO and the Department of Industry, Trade and Competition (dtic) to revitalise and transform them into eco-industrial parks (EIPs) may hold the answer for how industry can start to decarbonise. The NCPC-SA reflected upon the revitalisation efforts at the fifth Biennial Industrial Efficiency Conference 2022.

South Africa has a very energy-intensive industrial sector. The country’s direct and indirect emissions make up a high percentage of energyrelated carbon emissions. The industrial park revitalisation efforts to transform them into EIPs has a potential to change this negative picture.

South Africa is one of seven countries leading the charge for the revitalisation of industrial parks to eco-industrial parks through the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme (GEIPP).

In a country that has several public and private industrial parks, Blanche Ting from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) South Africa argues that they, “Have a huge potential to make an impact in our decarbonisation ambitions.”

The EIP approach encourages park companies to enter collaborative partnerships and create synergies to gain a competitive advantage through the physical exchange of materials, energy, water and by-products, thus diverting waste from landfills and reducing environmental impact.

“Collaboration is crucial within an eco-industrial park,” explains Bernd Oellermann then regional industrial development director at the dtic.

Community collaboration is also an imperative of the EIP approach. When an EIP actively collaborates with surrounding communities, it fosters inclusive and sustainable development.

Increasingly, companies need to ask themselves, “What can industry do that has a knock-on effect on communities and the environment,” asserts Oellermann, who recently joined the NCPCSA’s EIP programme team. He urged conference attendees to think about the value that their respective companies are making, not just the surrounding community and the environment, but to the entire country.

Collaboration is crucial within an eco-industrial park.

Although the EIP concept dates back to the 1990s, major uptake only increased in 2018. South Africa and other countries started adopting EIPs’ principles to enhance resource and materials efficiencies, improve the overall environmental, economic and social performance of industrial parks for common benefits.

The Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme (GEIPP) was launched in 2020 to green industrial parks by improving resource productivity and economic, environmental and social performances of businesses. The project is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented internationally by UNIDO. The NCPS-SA is implementing GEIPP SA from 2021 to 2023 through a collaboration with UNIDO and the dtic.

The first step in this revitalisation journey is the development of a set of tools for industrial parks, their tenants and policy makers. The purpose of the tools and guides is to provide free resources that will aid in the transition of parks to the EIP model. To view or download the guides visit: www.ncpc.co.za.

Ndivhuho Raphulu, NCPC director.

Delegates at the NCPC fifth Biennial Industrial Efficiency Conference 2022.

NCPC stand at the fifth Biennial Industrial Efficiency Conference 2022.