Environmental management by eco-industrial estate principal: a case study in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate (MTPIE)

Abstract

Eco-Industrial Estate (EIE) or Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) is one of the strategies to implement the concept of industrial ecology for environmental management by inter-company collaboration. EIPs is defined by US-EPA as "a community of manufacturing and service business seeking enhanced environmental and economic performance through collaboration in managing environmental and resource issues including energy, water and materials. By working together, the community of business seeks a collective benefit that is greater than the sum of the individual benefits each company would realize if it optimized its individual performance only". Thailand by Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has adopted EIE development concept by promoting implementation at 5 industrial estates. MTPIE has high potential for Eco-Industrial Estate Development due to the existing self-organized system that supports on establishing the EIE concept. This study aimed to assist in EIE development program at Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate (MTPIE) by investigating existing environmental management activities, identifying industrial synergy linkages and analyzing the economic and environmental benefits. This study emphasized on existing linkage level, proposed potential linkage area, and evaluated economic and environmental benefits. Based on voluntary basis, an availability of information, type of industrial sectors, and the implementation of industrial synergy linkage activities, six factories were chosen for detailed study. Two waste recycling projects in material area were analyzed in term of economic and environmental benefits. These projects are steel scrap recycling project, which is carried out by sending steel scrap directly to steel manufacturer (SCSC), and used fluorescent lamp recycling at lamp manufacturer project. The result of this study showed that these projects would promote sustainable use of natural resources, reduce environmental impact, and save operating cost. Moreover, recycling process will decelerate the need for landfills. This will promote pollution prevention at its source, energy saving, and reducing greenhouse gas emission, and community development. A successful EIE implementation depends on the industrial estate as well as its tenants. Furthermore, future studies to improve EIE effectiveness in MTPIE can be progressively accomplished by the collaboration among IEAT, industrial estate tenants, and interested academic.