The organization of eco-industrial parks and their environmental and social practices

Purpose - Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs) are defined as industrial clusters wherein a community of firms linked in a network of collaborative relationships exploit new business opportunities so as to increase their economic performance, by minimizing the environmental impact and creating benefits for the local community (Cote and Cohen-Rosenthal, 1998). A number of EIPs have recently spread in both developed and developing countries, with specific features and various degrees of success. Despite such a variety, the common driver for these initiatives is the awareness that industrial symbiosis on materials and energy may be beneficial for both the companies and the environment (Yang and Lay, 2004). The aim of this paper is to characterize EIPs and identify specific typologies for them. For this purpose we propose a framework based on relevant literature and articulated in three dimensions, namely organizational, environmental, and social. Design/methodology/approach - To apply the framework, we consider a number of heterogeneous initiatives of EIPs, located in Europe, North America, and developing countries, and characterize them in accordance with the developed framework. In particular, assessing the variables of the framework we describe the organizational structure of EIPs as well as the adoption of practices related to the environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Once we have characterized these cases, we apply the cluster analysis to group them according to the organizational dimension: we identify the emerging clusters as specific types of EIPs. Then, we repeat the cluster analysis on the other dimensions to assess the way environmental and social practices are implemented. Originality/value - Although there are several examples of EIPs in developed countries as well as in emerging economies, and the attendant literature provides some guidelines for the establishment of EIPs, to our knowledge there is a lack of studies that aim at assessing possible linkages between the organizational structure of an EIP and its environmental and social practices This study is a first attempt to address this issue. Practical implications - The research findings can support the policy makers in defining the organizational characteristics of EIPs that allow to foster the environmental and social performance of EIPs.