Insights on the development progress of National Demonstration eco-industrial parks in China

In recent years, concepts drawn from industrial ecology have been used to plan and develop eco-industrial parks (EIPs) in China. Attention for eco-industrial parks development projects has grown considerably among national and regional governments and also industries. Among of them, the National Demonstration Eco-industrial Parks program is the most significant program in China. The National Demonstration Eco-industrial Parks program in China has a clear set of indicators and performance targets, strong government support and direct involvement and strict structures and regulations to support it. This article provides an assessment of the progress of the National Demonstration Eco-industrial Parks Program in China by focusing on the key problems and dilemmas that arise in the course of developing EIPs in different economic regions. The paper draws upon both an extensive survey of EIPs and in-depth interviews conducted at 33 EIPs. It begins by introducing the experience of the National Demonstration Eco-industrial Parks Program, and then discusses the geographic distribution of EIPs and compares regional differences by analyzing data from 33 ElPs. The paper offers some brief suggestions for future development of ElPs in China and, finally, it explores factors that could affect the progress of ElPs drawing upon empirical work conducted in China. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.