Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area Research Articles

Factors associated with symptoms of poor mental health among women factory workers in China's supply chain.

ObjectiveForeign direct investment (FDI) to China has motivated increased labor migration to export processing zones (EPZs). Work environments with high occupational stress, such as production line jobs typical in EPZs, have been associated with adverse mental health symptoms.MethodsA cross-sectional survey that examined occupational stress and symptoms of poor mental health was implemented among Chinese women factory workers in three electronic factories in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. Symptoms of mental health measured in the survey were hopelessness, depression, not feeling useful or needed, and trouble concentrating. Crude and adjusted prevalence odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated with logistic regression.ResultsResponses were collected from 696 women factory workers. Participants were aged 18–56 years (mean 28 ± 5.8), 66% of whom were married and 25% of whom were migrants. Nearly 50% of participants reported at least one symptom of poor mental health. After adjusting for covariates associated with each outcome in the bivariate analysis, high job strain was associated with hopelessness (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.58, 4.56), not feeling useful (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.22, 3.43), and feeling depressed (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.16, 2.72).ConclusionThis study expands on the international body of research on the well-being of women working in the global supply chain and provides evidence on the associations between occupational stressors, migration, and social support on symptoms of poor mental health among women workers. Future research to better understand and improve psychological health and to prevent suicide among workers in China’s factories is critical to improve the health of China’s labor force.

A Grey Multi-Level Evaluation of Industrial Park Ecology Based on a Coefficient of Variation-Attribute Hierarchy Model

China entered a new era, and the construction of an ecological civilization and green development has been raised to a new strategic height. As the lifeblood of the national economy, industrial parks significantly contribute to economic growth. However, they also generate significant pollution, damaging the ecological environment. It is urgent to ecologically transform traditional industrial parks. This requires identifying methods to correctly and objectively evaluate the ecological level of industrial parks, and provide ecological construction proposals for the government and industrial parks. In this study, the comprehensive evaluation weight was determined by introducing a variation coefficient and an Attribute Hierarchy Model (AHM). The ecological level of four representative eco-industrial parks was then quantitatively evaluated using a grey multi-level evaluation method. The ecological construction level of the four industrial parks was as follows. The Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) was rated at a “very good” level; and the Suzhou industrial park, Dalian economic and technological development zone, and Fushun mining group were rated at a “good” level. Six dimensions were studied. Of these, policy management had the highest weight, and the total weight of policy management and economic development approached 50%. The result shows that industrial parks can attract innovative enterprises and talents through the policy guidance of local government to improve the level of green innovation technology and cleaner production technology. Then, the ecological level of the industrial parks will be improved. This study enriched the theory and practice of ecological evaluation of industrial parks and provided a reference for the ecological construction of traditional industrial parks.

How to promote industrial park recycling transformation in China: An analytic framework based on critical material flow

As an important conduit of industrial development, industrial parks have contributed significantly to economic development, particularly through the construction of eco-industrial parks (EIPs). With the increase in the number and type of parks, industrial park recycling transformation (IPRT) has been pivotal in developing the circular economy concept at the regional level in China. Compared with EIPs, this study identifies the characteristics of IPRT as green, cyclic, efficient, shared, and sustainable. To effectively explore how to promote IPRT development, the concept of critical material flow with material flow analysis is introduced to trace materials that are critical to high consumption areas with significant environmental impacts. The paper also suggests that cleaner production audits of enterprises can provide a basis for critical material flow analysis. Analysis of critical material flow pathways can facilitate the establishment of reverse logistics, which is important for achieving closed-loop IPRT through imitation of natural ecosystem cycles. In addition, an information system and database management platform are required to support critical material flow analysis in IPRT. Using a case study of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, the findings reveal that IPRT can be promoted from enterprises at the micro-level to parks at the macro-level based on critical material flow analysis. These results provide a methodological and practical reference for improving the stability of the industrial symbiosis of EIPs and contribute to IPRT research. Moreover, an analytic framework is provided that demonstrates how to promote IPRT in practice.

A comparison and case analysis between domestic and overseas industrial parks of China since the Belt and Road Initiative

With rapid globalization, industrial parks are playing an increasingly important role in the national and regional development. Since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was put forward, national-level overseas industrial parks of China have emerged with new development features and trends. It is of great importance to carry out a comparative study on domestic and overseas industrial parks of China. Based on the perspective of spatiotemporal evolution, this paper compares and analyzes national-level overseas industrial parks along the Belt and Road (B&R) and domestic industrial parks of China. In time, China’s industrial parks have experienced four stages with distinctive state-led characteristic. There are different development paths and modes for overseas industrial parks along the B&R and domestic industrial parks. In space, the national-level overseas industrial parks are invested and constructed by Chinese enterprises (mostly from the coastal developed cities), and mainly distributed in the countries along the B&R. Through typical cases comparison of Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone and Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, the paper finds that national-level overseas industrial parks are basically market-driven and concentrated in traditional advantageous industries, while domestic industrial parks are mainly government-led high-tech industries. Localization of overseas industrial parks and remote coupling with domestic industrial parks become very important.

Which factors promote or inhibit enterprises’ participation in industrial symbiosis? An analytical approach and a case study in China

Abstract Which factors influence enterprises’ participation in industrial symbiosis (IS)? It has not been studied well so far, which can be detrimental to IS development. The aims of this study are to propose an analytical approach to determine the factors that significantly influence companies’ participation in IS and to verify the feasibility of this approach, as well as investigating whether there are significant differences in the influencing factors for diverse types of companies. The main part of our approach involves collecting the scores of potential influencing factors from enterprises through a questionnaire and analyzing these scores with four models based on logistic regression. Enterprises are divided into companies participating in IS (PCs), companies that have not participated in IS (NPCs), producers of waste or by products (PWBs) and utilizer of waste or by products (UWBs), to reflect the differences in their influencing factors. This analytical approach was applied in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) of China. The results show that this approach can conveniently determine the promoting and inhibiting factors of IS participation for different types of companies. In TEDA, for PCs, the requirement of environmental regulations is the first driving force, and the uncertainty of waste and by-products (WBs) is an important concern; meanwhile, for NPCs, geographical disadvantages are key restraints. Among the PCs, PWBs are more likely to be hindered by lack of IS awareness in the management, while UWBs are faced with more barriers, such as lack of support from the government and difficulties in reaching agreements. This study can provide insights into the factors that affect IS at the enterprise level as well as first-hand information for exploiting targeted policies to boost IS according to the influencing factors of each type of company.

A Monte Carlo-based integrated model to optimize the cost and pollution reduction in wastewater treatment processes in a typical comprehensive industrial park in China

Wastewater generated from an industrial park is usually characterized by large volumes, variation in composition, and high pollutant concentrations, and is generally toxic and difficult to biodegrade. Wastewater treatment at an industrial park includes several stages, namely, pretreatment inside factories (F-WWTPs), centralized wastewater treatment (C-WWTP), and reclaimed wastewater treatment (R-WWTP), during which the treatment efficiencies are mutually restricted. Therefore, water pollution control in industrial parks is extremely challenging. In this study, models, including those for pollutant reduction and operating costs, were established considering the F-WWTPs, C-WWTP, and R-WWTP stages at an industrial park. A Monte Carlo model was used to simulate the treatment and solve the above-mentioned models. Consequently, the characteristic values, including the extent of pollutant reduction, concentration of pollutants in the effluent, and operation costs, were predicted under optimal operating conditions of the wastewater treatment system. The established model was verified and applied to industrial park A in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area in China. Based on the comparison of the above-mentioned optimization values with the sampled values as well as the theoretical analysis, the status of the wastewater treatment system in the industrial park was quantitatively evaluated to diagnose pertinent issues. Additionally, optimization and reformation strategies were proposed. Therefore, the established model can achieve optimization of pollution reduction and operation costs for the entire industrial park, thus contributing to industrial wastewater pollution control and water quality improvement.

Manifest system for management of non-hazardous industrial solid wastes: results from a Tianjin industrial park

Industrial parks pose a significant challenge in industrial solid waste management (ISWM) due to the large quantity of waste they generate. The manifest system, a tool currently used mainly for the management and tracking of hazardous waste, has been employed in a pilot project on non-hazardous industrial solid waste (NHISW) in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). This paper focuses on the implementation of a non-hazardous industrial solid waste manifest system (NHISWMS) in TEDA, which aims to track the NHISW transfer path, and accurately acquire detailed information on each specific company. Using a total of 1456 manifests from 25 tenant companies over one year of research, this paper analyzes the information generated on waste generation, transfer and disposal. The results show that more than 50% of NHISW leaves TEDA but remains in Tianjin province, and more than 65% of NHISW is utilized or disposed by only one waste receiver. The research concludes that the manifest is an effective instrument for analyzing NHISW characteristics and identifying connections between waste handlers in order to establish a waste recycling industry chain. The experiences and methods from this case study are highly applicable to other industrial parks seeking to improve their waste management.

Greater Philadelphia and Tianjin Economic Development Area EcoPartnership on urban clean energy infrastructure

The Greater Philadelphia (PHL)-Tianjin Economic-technological Development Area (TEDA) collaboration joined the U.S.-China EcoPartnerships program in July 2014 to jumpstart innovative “Urban Clean Energy Infrastructure” solutions in both regions. This unique combination of real-world technology demonstrations and product showcases will get viable new infrastructure breakthroughs quickly into Chinese and U.S. markets once the EcoPartnership is fully underway. The past year has been spent down-selecting priority technologies and demonstration sites, and the partnership is getting ready to initiate its initial three pilot projects. Urban clean energy infrastructure is a sizable, and yet largely untapped opportunity. The PHL-TEDA EcoPartnership can serve as an important sub-national resource to assist municipalities integrate, at the practical level, their U.S.-China Sustainable City planning efforts with commercially relevant, on-the-ground urban infrastructure project experience.

What Makes Eco‐Transformation of Industrial Parks Take Off in China?

SummaryThis article focuses on the effects of policy instruments for developing viable eco‐industrial parks (EIPs) in China. We analyzed the root of China's national EIP program and inventoried the general instruments available to local authorities to shape and promote eco‐industrial development. Empirical research conducted in Tianjin Economic‐technological Development Area and Dalian Development Area led to the activities and actions conducted by local authorities. A quantitative method, technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution, was adopted to reveal the effects of policy instruments for comparative analysis. We conclude that the planned EIP model is useful in the early stage of EIP development, and, subsequently, it should be combined with a facilitated model to achieve long‐term goals for eco‐transformation. To this end, the policy package of economic, regulatory, and voluntary instruments should be integrated and tailored in alignment with the local situation.

An Analysis of Decoupling of Economic Development and Environmental Pressure Based on the Park Level: A Case of TEDA

Based on the decoupling elasticity model, an analysis is carried out on decoupling relationships between GDP and indicators of resource consumptions and pollutant emissions in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). Decoupling elastic coefficients (DECs) of GDP and energy consumption & water usage for nine years (2003-2011) along with the counterparts between GDP and emissions of COD & SO2 for six years (2006-2010), are calculated respectively. The results are as follows: first, the overall trends between development of GDP and intensity of resource consumptions and pollutant emissions per unit of GDP turn out to be almost perfect decoupling relationships. Second, the DECs of GDP and total energy consumption (TEC), along with weak or better decoupling in 6 of 7 years, displays in good condition from 2005 to 2011 and the ones of GDP and total water usage (TWU) improves a lot, compared to the period of 2004-2007, with a more favorable form of strong or weak decoupling during the period of 2008-2011. Third, strong (40%) or weak (60%) decoupling are witnessed among all the DECs between GDP and COD & SO2 for five years from 2006 to 2010. It is concluded that construction of eco-industrial park, the main practice of industrial ecology and theory of circular economy, accompanied with circulating fluidized transformation, is powerful driving force for TEDA to realize decoupling relationships between economic growth and environmental pressures and can contribute to achievement of decoupling at bigger level, country or regions.

Process analysis of eco-industrial park development – the case of Tianjin, China

The variety of successful and unsuccessful eco-industrial parks (EIPs) have evoked a discussion on how to intervene in the process of transforming an industrial park to an eco-industrial park. This study presents a process analysis approach that enables analysts to trace and structure the key activities that influence changes in an EIP system. This approach rests on five key activities that affect EIP changes and development: (1) institutional activity (2) technical facilitation (3) economic and financial enablers (4) informational activity and (5) company activity. Applying this lens to a Chinese EIP, Tianjin Economic-technological Development Area (TEDA), allowed us to build a structured database of activities to analyze its eco-transformation. In TEDA, institutional activity shapes the institutional arrangements that are pivotal for enabling and shaping the eco-transformation. Company activity has less influence on the system than the other key activities. Informational activity is vital to build trust and relationships. In a long time-span, TEDA transformed from a planned EIP to a planned and facilitated EIP, where the local authority acts as a coordinator and as a facilitator. The process analysis approach is amenable for an institutional environment other than the Chinese context because it results in a structured and documented analysis that is open to adjustment, expansion and critique. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reverse Logistics Activities for Renewable Resource Industry - A Case of Tianjin in China

The rapid growth in end-of-life electronic products in recent years has seriously threatened the environment. While if the renewable resource industry introduced the concept of modern logistics, they will be the best carrier for the activities of reverse logistics. The paper aimed to find out the way for the renewable resource enterprises taking part in the reverse logistics, and how they could cooperate with the Manufacturing Industrial Park, and then form the Regional Eco-Industrial Park. This research took two typical districts of Tianjin Ziya Environmental Protection Industrial Park and Tianjin Economic Technological Development Area for example to discuss the foundation and the management for the renewable resource industry in Tianjin, and built a closed-loop supply chain for end-of-life electronic products recycling.

Analysis of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city��s Indicator System

Eco-city, trend of future city, aims at realizing the harmonious development among nature, technology and society. Sino-Singapore Tianjin eco-city (SSTE) is an important joint project between China and Singapore governments. To demonstrate the meaning of establishing eco-city under restrained environment is the major aim of it. SSTE has a broad range of indicators to reflect, detect, evaluate, forecast and promote its development. But whether the indicator system and its drawing up meet the development of eco-city, as well as broader part of city is uncertain. The lack of ready-made experience of the establishment of indicator system and planning management leads to inquiring the rationality and coordinate of the system. This paper tries to analyze the indicator system of SSTE, as well as difficulties in meeting indicators, reasons of difficulty arising and solutions of it, discuss effective means to establish eco-city's indicator system and make use of the function of planning. The theory of eco-city, a model of urban development, was presented in 1981 by former Soviet Union urban ecologist O.Yanitsky, which reflects the deepen cognition of the relationship between human and nature.(1) Our country is in high speed development period of urbanization, avoiding repeating errors made in the analogous period in developed countries is an essential task to us. Our country is also a country with fragile environment and scarce resources. The establishment of SSTE can make an example to the sustainable development of eco-city in restrained resources. The eco-city site is located 40 km from the center of Tianjin and 150 km from Beijing. The site is 10 km from the core district of the Tianjin Binhai New Area, with the southern tip of the site only a 10- minute drive from the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. The eco-city is sited on non-arable land. Prior to development, the site of the eco-city is one-third saltpan, one-third deserted beach, and one-third water, including a 270-hectare wastewater pond. SSTE, which is a key area of our country's development, the pattern of its development demonstrates the methods of developing other parts of our country. The building of eco-city is an inevitable trend of society development. The significance of it is high lightened in the course of city development: controlling population size, upgrading the quality of population, carrying out clean production, making up public transport system, setting green parts in urban area, developing ecological agriculture, improving environment, remitting pressure in the centre of city, regulating the density of regional city and fulfilling indicators of analyzing city. The building of eco-city can make nature and city their true color. The general thinking of building SSTE is: Firstly, to build infrastructures in starting parts. Secondly, according to the master plan's quantitative and qualitative indicators, solve various problems via professional view and systematical analyses. Thirdly, build a resource-saving, environment friendly, suitable living city. SSTE puts forward the Three Harmonies and Three Can guidelines: Three Harmonies refers to harmonies between people and people, people and economical activities, people and environment. Three Can refers to can be realized, can be duplicated, and can be popularized. The major contents of eco-city is: site selection under restrained environment, indicator system based on saving energy, spatial pattern following local environment, slow pattern emphasized transport system, recycle of water resource, harmonious community and digitizing infrastructures. SSTE will be ecologically friendly, existing wetlands and biodiversity will be preserved. Green spaces will be interspersed throughout the city. Located in an area of low rainfall, SSTE will draw a

Evolution of land use policies and its effects on wetlands change in Tianjin Binhai New Area, China

Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) was one of the fastest developing regions in the world. The Wetlands of this area have changed dramatically both in quality and quantity due to the land-based urbanization and industrialization in the last 30 years. The relationship between evolution of land use policies and change of the wetlands was explored in present study. Before the year of 1986, the ownership and use rights of land were separated legally for meeting the need of attracting the foreign investment. The wetlands near the “Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area” were lost. From the year 1987 to 1994, the constitution was amended and land users were allowed to let, transfer, rent and mortgage land use rights. The trend of urbanization was appearing and wetlands around the central city (Tanggu) diminished gradually. From the year 1994 to 2004, the old industrial corporation moved for the TBAN from the center of Tianjin city under the policy of “Land Replacement”. Although large wetlands were protected by national nature reserve area, most of small patches of wetland were transformed into construction land. From the year 2004 to 2008, local government was authorized more flexibility to regulate the land supply for upgrading “National Economic Zone” of TBNA. Large scale of intertidal flat was reclaimed for port and industrial use. The results showed land use policies had a substantial effect on wetlands. The reasonable land use policy was needed for balancing the economic growth with wetlands protection.

Developing country experience with eco-industrial parks: a case study of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area in China

To address the pollution that accompanies rapid industrial growth in China, a National Eco-industrial Park Demonstration Program was launched in 2000. This article provides a case study of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). The emergence of an environmental institution in TEDA is used as a backdrop to assess how TEDA has transformed itself into one of the top three national eco-industrial parks in China. Following two years of field research, a network of 81 inter-firm symbiotic relationships formed in TEDA during the past 16 years were identified involving the utility, automobile, electronics, biotechnology, food and beverage, and resource recovery clusters. The article assesses the environmental benefits of the key symbiotic exchanges in TEDA and summarizes some unique characteristics of EIP progress in a developing country.

The Tianjin economic-technological development area in China

This article considers the main stages (over the last 30 years) in the creation and functioning of the Tianjin economic development area, one of the most successful open zones for economic-technological development in China.