Be Circle: the industrial ecology in a port site

Presentation

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Context in which the project was created:

In front of energy, economic and environmental issues, companies must turn to new logistics solutions, and should integrate industrial ecology principles. For CNR, the objective was to valorize the activity of its port and industrial sites.

Strategy and objectives

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Be Circle project aims to help industrial ecosystems to achieve high economic and environmental goals. In concrete terms, it helps to design industrial sites that function in circular economy. It applies at a large industrial audience such as companies, industrial groups or local authorities.

Be Circle answers to multiple challenges:

• It is a decision support tool for developers and managers of industrial sites allowing the creation of a virtuous ecosystem, and “win-win” synergies.

Objective: to reduce expenses and identify new sources of income

• It allows operators to install the networks as wisely as possible, and minimize as much as possible transport costs.

Objective: Improve transportation networks and optimize local organization

• Finally, for companies, this application which combining GPS mapping and enriched database allows them to have a better understanding of its ecosystem and to consider synergies with companies in its territory.

Objective: improve environmental performance and competitiveness to conserve and valorize resources

The project is in the testing phase in 3 territories: the port and industrial site of Salaises-Sablons INSPIRA, the chemical platform INFRASERV, (industrial and port area in Höchst, near Frankfurt), and currently being deployed on the port of Dunkirk.

 

The project’s innovative characteristics

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Economic/Financial

Be Circle enables the different actors to optimize their locations and reconcile environmental and economic issues. The objective is to support territories in their development strategy, and to facilitate the transition of industrial actors and their ecosystem toward a circular economy. There is a financial added value, because optimization of flows is a real gain for the company.

Environnemental

There is also an environmental added value because the tool allows, on the same site, to reduce the waste of some by integrating them with the resources of the others.

Technological

Be Circle is a digital solution which help design and build an industrial area with circular economy models. it is also the first one which is “multi-flows, multi-network and multi-sector.”

 

Results and outlook

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This project made it possible to have an operational tool to enhance the local resources available.

 

The Be Circle project has enabled CNR to engage a shared approach, where the importance of the circular economy is recognized. Thus, the CNR aims to deploy this tool at the Port of Lyon.

How can this project be duplicated on other rivers?

The commercialization of the tool is underway, and the work methodology can be replicated and transferable to other industrial and port sites in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

To know more

Photo credit: Camille Moirenc / La Gallery