"Integrating circularity into industrial parks requires new technologies and business models."

Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs) are an effective approach to achieving a circular economy and increasing the competitiveness of firms and industry sectors. Greening the supply chain and alleviating resource constraints, waste and pollution through circular economy practices, can lead to improved resource management, resource conservation, and reduced climate impacts, consequently paving the way for a more competitive industrial ecosystem.

This session aims to address how EIPs are used as a tool to enhance the circularity of depletable resources at industrial parks by introducing new business models and habitual behavior change to alleviate dependence on those resources consequently creating a positive contribution to climate action. It also touches on how EIPs create an enabling environment to replace fossil fuel with renewable energy resources and bio-based fuel, transform waste into energy, raw material, and by-products, and strengthen infrastructure capability for sustainable utilization of potable water and recirculation of wastewater. In turn, and in line with circular economy goals, EIPs help achieve more cost-efficient production processes that are resilient to price fluctuations and resource scarcity.