Industrial Symbiosis and Territorial Development: The Cross-Fertilization of Proximity Dynamics and the Role of Information and Knowledge Flows

Abstract

Industrial regions, specialized in heavy industry, currently face many challenges, due to their strong specialization (job losses, closure of plants, etc.) and are looking for new paths of diversification. Industrial ecology can be an engine of this diversification: the industrial symbiosis generated by its implementation is a source of positive externalities stemming from the articulation of geographical, organizational, and cognitive proximities. These externalities strengthen territorial attractiveness and favor the development of a related variety. Using a mixed methodology including the constitution and analysis of database and interviews, we study the case of Dunkirk, pioneer city in France for the implementation of industrial ecology. The empirical results show that the new companies are linked to local ones through eco-industrial synergies. These synergies can be, through the flows of information and knowledge, a source of the emergence of new markets and innovative technologies and thus induce territorial development.