Stimulating Sustainable Development of Eco-Industrial Town : A Case Study of Bangchan Industrial Estate

Abstract

This research aimed to study the success factors of Bangchan industrial estate on the development of eco industrial town and to propose measures to promote a sustainable eco-industrial town. This research was a qualitative research focusing on in-depth interviews with related stakeholders, including representatives from Bang Chan Industrial Estate’s office, factories, local authorities and communities. The data obtained were analyzed using SWOT analysis and measures were proposed based on TOWS matrix analysis and Sustainable Balance Scorecards (SBSC) approaches. A strategy map was also presented in this paper.

The study found that the most important factors affecting the success in the development of Bangchan eco – industrial town included the participation of stakeholders, continuous improvement of activities implementation, and communication among staffs. The second most important factors were the commitment of the management, ability of personnel and the number of complaints, while the third most important factors were support of the budget, disclose of information from the factories and good teamwork of staffs. Based on SWOT analysis, it was found that, strengths of Bangchan industrial estate was clearly seen in the social aspect regarding the participation and good relations with communities. And a significant weakness was found in the management aspect, i.e., weak participation of staffs and entrepreneurs. From external factors assessment, opportunities for eco-industrial development was found in the environmental and the management aspects, i.e., advancement of research in environmental management and commitment for the development at the national level. But there was biggest obstacle in the management aspect as well, i.e., lack of a clear direction in implementation and monitoring at the national level. Measures to promote the sustainable eco-industrial town were as follows: 1) learning and growth perspective: measures included good planning and clear development of policy. and capacity building for related stakeholders 2) internal process perspective: measures included improvement of production processes with state-of-the-art knowledge and technologies and monitoring environmental quality according to regulations 3) effectiveness perspective: measure included, concentration on eco-efficiency. and 4) social and environmental perspective: measures included promotion of community participation. And improve corporate image of the industrial estate.