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Inter-firm cooperation and local industrial ecology processes: evidence from three French case studies

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Abstract

In this paper, we are interested in industrial and territorial ecology (ITE), whose aim is to optimize the management of material and energy flows between local economic players by drawing inspiration from the cyclical nature of natural ecosystems. The organizational elements, specifically the forms of coordination between actors, appear to be central in the setting out of these processes. This is why methodological devices promise to respond to the chronic difficulty of implementing local inter-firm relations conducive to cooperation. The work presented here, based on social network analysis, aims to determine their validity through three case studies. First, we examine the need to consider the spatial dimension of ITE approaches to understand the conditions for the emergence of inter-firm cooperation and sustainable development, and we present the methodological elements of our work. Then, we proceed to the case studies and identify inter-firm relations and study their evolution over time. We conclude with an assessment of the devices studied, the intermediary role of facilitators, and the difficulty of perpetuating these types of cooperative relations, which raises serious questions about the modalities of the implementation of sustainable territorial development processes.

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Notes

  1. Examples of synergies noted in our surveys may have concerned the pooling of IT equipment or the recovery of wooden drums, white and printed paper, cardboard and plastic film, or IT equipment.

  2. Geographical data from the official website of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Nord Isère (2016).

  3. For Ingénierie Technique et Environnementale (Technical and Environmental Engineering).

  4. Schéma de Cohérence Territoriale des Rives du Rhône (2012). An urbanism document about regional planification.

  5. Panorama économique de Cornouaille, Chambers of Commerce and Industry of CCI Quimper Cornouaille (2015). Official report on local economic activities.

  6. Initially, we had planned to carry out two periods of interviews per case study, a first occurring three to four months after the workshop and a second twelve months after it. However, we were not allowed to speak with the firms in the first few months. Therefore, we made the choice to favor the second interview period by slightly readjusting the questions to bring out the diachronic aspect of the relationships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Technology of Troyes, UR InSyTec, Troyes, France

    Mael Jambou

  2. University Paris-Saclay,, Paris, France

    Andre Torre & Sabrina Dermine-Brullot

  3. EM Normandie Business School, Metis Lab, Le Havre, France

    Sébastien Bourdin

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  1. Mael Jambou
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  2. Andre Torre
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  3. Sabrina Dermine-Brullot
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  4. Sébastien Bourdin
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Correspondence to Mael Jambou.

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Appendix

Appendix

Location of the three case studies.

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Jambou, M., Torre, A., Dermine-Brullot, S. et al. Inter-firm cooperation and local industrial ecology processes: evidence from three French case studies. Ann Reg Sci 68, 331–358 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-021-01088-5

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