Sustainable industrial estates in the Netherlands by province, 2001

Sustainable industrial estates are industrial estates where 'companies collaborate with each other and with government authorities in order to improve economic results, to reduce the environmental burden and to use space efficiently'.

Area of sustainable industrial estates

In 2001, sustainable industrial estates in the Netherlands accounted for an estimated shared surface area of approximately 10,000 hectares. Of approximately 620,000 hectares accounted for by industrial estates in the Netherlands, only a very small proportion - less than 2% - work on sustainability. Provincial authorities cannot yet state the benefit for the environment of the initiatives relating to sustainable industrial estates.

Policy

Sustainable industrial estates are industrial estates where 'companies collaborate with each other and with government authorities in order to improve economic results, to reduce the environmental burden and to use space efficiently' (EZ, 1997).

Technical note

In the context of the monitoring and evaluation of government performance, the Association of Provincial Authorities (IPO) questions all provincial authorities annually about their environment policy. Not yet all provincial authorities have enough information to state how many hectares of sustainable industrial estate are in place or in the process of being established. One of the reasons is that the definition and criteria for sustainable industrial estates have not yet fully crystallised. For example, not all provincial authorities use the definition from the Environment and Economy memorandum (EZ, 1997).
Monitoring government performance.

References

• IPO (2002). Interprovinciale rapportage Milieu, Water, Landbouw en Natuur 2002. Association of Provincial Authorities, Lelystad. This report contains an extensive set of provincial data about the environment, water, nature and agriculture for 2001.

Relevant sections and indicators in the Environmental Data Compendium

• Monitoring government performance
• Guide to societal developments relating to industry
• Guide to environmental pressure from Industry

Relevant information outside of the Environmental Data Compendium

• IPO (2002a). Overzicht van door provincies gehanteerde definities voor duurzame bedrijventerreinen. (IPO, 2002, page 69).
• IPO (2002b). Overzicht van door provincies gehanteerde criteria bij de uitwerking van het concept duurzame bedrijventerreinen.(IPO, 2002, page 70).