Eco-Industrial parks: A key to a decarbonised South African Industry

South African industrial parks or industrial spaces play a critical role in supporting economic development, attracting foreign investment and creating employment in the manufacturing sector. This sector is among the country’s largest direct and indirect carbon emissions contributor, leading to climate change and many other challenges such and extreme weather conditions. However, transitioning from traditional industrial parks to Eco-Industrial Parks or EIPs can help change this bleak picture.

An Eco-Industrial Park is defined by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as “A community of manufacturing and service businesses located together on a common property. Member businesses seek enhanced environmental, economic, and social performance through collaboration in managing environmental and resources.”

The EIP programme promotes the greening of industrial parks by improving resource productivity, economic, environmental, and social performances of businesses.

With backing from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition the dtic), 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). The GEIPP is implemented by and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) globally and the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA) locally.

While the EIP approach encourages park companies to collaborate and create synergies to gain a competitive advantage through the physical exchange of materials, energy, water and by-products, the NCPC-SA supports the transition through providing resource efficient and cleaner production (RECP) assessments to ascertain potential resource and financial savings. Industrial parks and tenant companies who take advantage of the NCPC-SA services have so far advanced in their transition to an EIP journey.

About the NCPC-SA

The National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa is a national support programme that drives the transition of South African industry towards a green economy through appropriate resource efficient and cleaner production (RECP) interventions.

The NCPC-SA’s mission is to drive RECP in industrial and selected commercial and public sectors by equipping them to operate in an efficient, sustainable and competitive manner.

Services and focus areas include industry and sector knowledge-sharing, company technical support; green skills development; and advocacy and awareness-raising.

Other Services:

Green skills development

The NCPC-SA offers training courses designed to offer a comprehensive learning pathway for introductory, end-user and expert level courses in Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) and other green fields.

Industry and sector knowledge sharing

NCPC-SA offers capacity building workshops in the green economy and participates in industry events participation.

Company technical support

• The Industrial Water Efficiency Project promotes the transformation of industrial water use practices in South Africa to reduce water consumption and improve industrial water effluent quality.

• Through the Industrial Energy Efficiency, the NCPC-SA has supported industry with the adoption of Energy Management Systems aligned with the ISO 50001 and the Energy Systems Optimisation approach.

• The Industrial Symbiosis Programme provides opportunities for synergies between companies that HAVE under- or unutilised resources with other companies who need and can the resources to create new business opportunities.

For more information visit www.ncpc.co.za or email ncpc@csir.co.za