Greening Chinese chemical industrial park by implementing industrial ecology strategies: A case study

China has witnessed a rapid development of the chemical industry and has become the largest chemicals producing country in the last decade, where more than 45% of the companies above designated-size have been clustered into a large number of chemical industrial parks. Greening the development of chemical industrial parks in China is crucial to local environment and has long been a big challenge. Deploying industrial ecology strategies in chemical industrial park will enhance both economic and environmental performances. This study reviewed the eco-industrial development in the Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP) and its performance. SCIP is a newly established industrial park producing petrochemicals and downstream fine chemicals and is considered as a hallmark of the chemical industrial parks in China, in regards to eco-industrial development from the scratch and its good economic and environmental performances. The key lessons drawn from SCIP are as follows: (1) Its design and construction complies with a top-down and environmentally friendly pattern in line with industrial ecology strategy by integrating upstream and downstream chemicals, utilities and infrastructure, logistics, safety and environmental management; and public services within the park holistically, (2) SOP created a vertically integrated chemicals manufacturing network, from naphtha to polymers, to extend the value chain as much as possible, via the geographical proximity of upstream-downstream linkage and economy of scale, (3) A delicately designed infrastructure and utility symbiotic network, logistic system, and 24-7 online safety and environmental management system sustained the food web efficiently. The implementation of top-down eco-industrial development planning and rich experience cumulated thereof in SCIP will be a benchmark and enlightenment of key factors for facilitating green development of other chemical industrial parks in China. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.