L'écosystème industriel

Abstract

Mots-clés :écologie industrielle ; modèle ; métaphore ; épistémologie ; développement durable Résumé -L'écologie industrielle propose une manière originale d'aborder les activités économiques. Elle se fonde pour cela sur l'analogie établie entre certains objets étudiés par l'écologie scientifique (l'écosystème, le métabolisme, la symbiose, la biocénose, etc.) et le système industriel. Toutefois, cette relation d'analogie soulève des difficultés en raison des interprétations différentes qu'elle suggère. Si l'on s'accorde sur sa fonction heuristique, l'analogie peut néanmoins se comprendre soit comme un modèle, soit comme une métaphore. Le présent article s'efforce d'abord de montrer en quoi le modèle diverge de la métaphore. Il cherche ensuite à justifier la pertinence épistémologique de cette distinction pour la recherche au sein de l'écologie industrielle. La réflexion devrait ainsi contribuer à clarifier le débat sur le rôle (supposé ou souhaité) de l'analogie dans le domaine de l'écologie industrielle et renforcer l'intérêt que présente ce champ d'investigations pour la mise en oeuvre du développement durable.Abstract -Industrial Ecosystem. Epistemological Challenge of such Analogy. Industrial ecology offers an original way of looking at economic activities. The approach is based on an analogy between certain objects studied by the science of ecology (ecosystems, metabolisms, symbiosis, biocenosis, etc.) and industrial systems. However, this analogical relationship raises difficulties due to the various interpretations it is open to. Although there is agreement regarding its heuristic function, the analogy can nevertheless be understood either as a model or a metaphor. The present article first attempts to show how models differ from metaphors. It then sets out to justify the epistemological relevance of this distinction for industrial ecology research. It endeavours describing how confusion amongst metaphors and models misleads to error. This consists in mixing up two levels of discourses, the first one refers to the reality and the second one reflects the vision created by the first one. The mistake may appear as an ideology or may damage the coherence of the approach of the industrial ecology. The reflection should thus contribute to clarifying the debate on the (supposed or desired) role of analogy in the field of industrial ecology and heighten the interest this field of investigation represents for implementing sustainable development.Article publié par EDP Sciences et disponible sur le site http://www.nss-journal.org ou http://dx.

Une analyse comparative de la résilience des écosystèmes entrepreneuriaux : Ambositra, Antananarivo, Antsiranana

“…La notion d'ÉE empruntée aux sciences biologiques, évoquant un ensemble formé par une communauté d'êtres vivants et son environnement (Tansley, 1935), tente de s'extraire de sa substance métaphorique, ne pouvant pas conduire à une définition précise (Hess, 2009). Ainsi, définir le concept d'un ÉE semble aisé car il demeure une idée abstraite d'un phénomène réel (Wurth, Stam et Spigel, 2022) et athéorique (Cao et Shi, 2020).…”

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics, a Strategy to Accomplish Complex Analysis: The Dunkirk Case Study

“…Thus, a feedback loop is identified in the production side, since the higher the efficiency in reducing waste, the lower the number of by-products available to be shared. The stakeholder relationship network has already been considered in the literature [3,25] but not through a geographical systems dynamic perspective, which would allow us to better understand the mechanisms, motivations and values in the industrial symbiosis for the sake of sustainability, understood in this study simply as the time endurance of this institutional cooperation mechanism.…”

“…From the beginning of the 21st century, the complex adaptive theory has gained interest in the socio-ecological dimension [3,35], because it has helped to improve the understanding of complex socioeconomic systems, which can be defined as a heterogeneous set of actors that interact with the objective of creating new knowledge, as well as changing the organizational structure. System dynamics appears to be a suitable methodology with the required structure to deal with complexity through the ability to identify causality in processes and track the feedback within the structures.…”

“…Since 1989, academic literature has shed light on the fact that industry bears a resemblance to natural ecosystems [1], thus closing loops in the industrial socio-ecosystem means the integration of cascading uses, by-product synergies, pooling services and consolidated waste management in an effort of reconciliation with natural ecosystems, even though there are obvious differences from natural ecosystems [2][3][4]. In recent years, there has been a small but compelling set of studies into the role of Industrial symbiosis stakeholders, such as corporations, SMEs, business associations, anchor tenants and governmental agencies, which has provided enough evidence to recognize the advantages of industrial symbiosis integration in a social ecological dimension [5][6][7][8][9].…”