Uncovering driving forces of co-benefits achieved by eco-industrial development strategies at the scale of industrial park

Abstract

Co-benefits are used to reflect multiple important benefits that could be achieved by a single policy or measure. In recent years, researches on co-benefits have developed rapidly in various fields, but there is limited research associated with eco-industrial development. In order to investigate the driving forces of co-benefits in the field of eco-industrial development, this study established an emergy-based hybrid model for such a research objective. In order to verify this model, Suzhou industrial park in China has been selected as a case study. The results showed that co-benefits achieved in 2015 through eco-industrial development-based strategies in Suzhou industrial park were more than that were in 2010. Waste reutilization environmental efficiency effect was the most significant positive driving forces, while energy consumption efficiency effect had the least impact on generating co-benefits in Suzhou industrial park. Policy implications such as strengthening eco-industrial network and further industrial structure promotion are proposed.