Launch of the Project

In November, 2006, the club of companies of Waremme and the Agency of Local Development (ADL) marked their support to the Life-SMIGIN project, The individual visits of companies made during the first half of the year 2007, allowed to raise the problems of management of the environment on the park. So, 18 companies were visited and marked their intention to participate in the project. It is further to these visits and further to the meeting of all the local actors that a global report was realized. It points out the collective actions having a potential on the park. Then, companies were again met in a individual way, to raise their interest for the proposed collective actions.

Actions implemented on the Park

Actions "Waste"

• Improving waste management
  The purpose of this project is to improve the sorting of the recoverable waste in companies. The initially proposed idea was to facilitate the sorting by the pooling of the streams of waste of 12 companies of the park of Waremme. The approach was launched in December, 2007 by the sending of a common call for tender. A visit of the concerned companies was organized to allow the provider to make an offer. Companies then met to discuss, in February, 2008, these various offers and arrived at the conclusion that these were not convenient for them.
  The project was then revised and personalized waste diagnoses was proposed by the Cell of Environment of the UWE to improve the management of the waste in these companies. To date, 3 waste diagnoses were realized. Following these, considerable improvements were brought, in particular in one of these companies; a benefit for this company and for the environment.

Actions "Energy"

• Setting up an energy accounting
  For companies with important electric expenses, the accurate monitoring of the consumptions of electricity of the consuming a lot of energy posts allows to improve their management and brings a decision-making support. For that reason, a company of the industrial estate dashed into this approach by the training of their energy responsible to the use of a software of energy accounting and by the installation of meters. These measures allow now the company to follow exactly its consumptions post by post and to lead actions targeted to reduce these consumptions.
• Optimization of refrigerating plants
  In the food-processing industry, the production of cold represents an important energy consumption. Four companies of the park of economic activity of Waremme became aware of it. So, they grouped together in May, 2008 and launched a call for tender to several specialized engineering consulting firms, among which the only one was held. To date, a work of optimization of the cold group was begun in one of the concerned companies and considerable savings are expected.
• Installation of photovoltaic solar panels
  Since May, 2008, three information sessions on the photovoltaic solar panels were organized in Waremme. During these, the advantages, the fiscal stimulants as well as practical information concerning the installation of panels in company were presented. Following these sessions, 6 companies decided to realize a pre-study of sizing and profitability for their buildings. To date, several projects of installations are still on the drawing board.  
• Sensitization of the staff to the Rational Use of the Energy
  To modify the installations is not the only way to reduce energy consumptions within a company. The workers also have an important role to play in this domain. So, awareness campaigns allow generally to realize, without tangible investment, energy savings which can reach 10 to 15%. For that reason, a company of Waremme decided to make sensitive its staff and to inform him about the adequate gestures allowing to reduce energy consumptions on their workplace but also to their place of residence. The launch of this action is planned at the end of 2009.

Actions "Mobility"

• Improvement of the road safety on the industrial estate
  The global report made on the PAE of Waremme highlights the problems of road safety on the industrial estate (not respected right priorities, high speed of the users, absence of crosswalk). A visit of the site was organized with the local police and a report was sent to the city. Since then, the maximal speed was reduced to 50 km per hour but other arrangements are already foreseen.
• Training of the workers in the eco-driving
  By a right driving behavior, the drivers of vehicles can reduce their consumptions of fuel of approximately 10 %. The advantages of "the eco-driving" do not stop there: decrease of the wear of the vehicle (tires, brake pads), decrease of the accidents, etc. So, several companies showed themselves interested in the idea to train their drivers of heavy goods vehicles or the persons having a fuel card in this other mode of driving. Time of return of this "investment": between 6 and 12 months maximum.

Actions "Landscaping"

• Maintenance and cleaning of public places
  During the meetings with companies, in 2007, problems of cleanliness were raised on the park of economic activity of Waremme. Since then, meetings with the city of Waremme took place, during which this problem was reminded. To date, the problem is not yet resolved. The ball is in the court of the city.
• Improvement of the landscaped aspect and the biodiversity on public spaces
  The weak biodiversity as well as the off-putting aspect of the park of activity were raised during the elaboration of the initial diagnosis. A proposition of arrangement of the public green spaces was handed over to the city of Waremme which supports completely the approach. The cost of the first arrangements will be financed by subsidies granted within the framework of the Week of the Tree. By the end of 2009, the first shrubs should come to cheer up the entrance of the park of activity.
• Improvement of the landscaped aspect and the biodiversity on the private plots of land
  Taking advantage of the dynamics of the Municipal Plan of Development of the Nature (PCDN) launched in November, 2008 in Waremme, a project of arrangement and ecological maintenance of the private green spaces will soon be proposed to companies. This one will aim to strengthen the biodiversity on the park of economic activity and to set up a more sustainable maintenance of these spaces.

Feed back of the project leader

Role of the Club of Companies and the Agency of Local Development

In Waremme, the club of Companies is organized in ASBL (Non-profit-making organization) whose board of directors consists mainly of companies not being a part of the PAE. This club and the Agency of Local Development (ADL) work in close collaboration. Indeed, this last help to the implementation of various projects and plays the role of secretariat and relay between the city of Waremme and the club of companies.

During the project of collective management of the environment, the club of company showed itself active via a very important implication of the ADL, to the expense of a concrete participation of the administrators of the club. This explains on one hand, by the fact that the project of collective management did not concern them directly because their company is not situated, for the greater part, on the PAE. On the other hand, their time and their energy were already monopolized by their professional activity and by the organization of events within the framework of the club of companies: "Zoning in holiday(feast)".  

On the other hand, the absence of periodic meetings of the club had, according to us, a fatal effect on the led actions: low rate of participation at the presentation meeting of the global report and in the various sessions of information / sensitization, lack of support during the presentation of projects for the various partners, etc.

The situation risks nevertheless to change with the election, in July, 2009, of a new president of the club of companies. Indeed, the first will of this one is to re-revitalize the association by the realization of concrete actions for the companies of the park of activity, around the various environmental subjects in particular.

Collaboration with the municipality of Waremme

The city of Waremme welcomed the project full of enthusiasm. She is even a privileged partner within the framework of several actions (arrangement and cleaning of the park of activity, improvement of the road safety, etc.). Numerous meetings were organized and the systematic participation of at least an alderman and a person in charge environment of the municipality is to underline. However, this day, few actions requiring the implication of the city really succeeded: panels 50 kph were placed at the entrances of the park, the arrangement of a plot of land is soon foreseen … On the other hand, the other projects, as the regular cleaning of the park of activity or the realization of markings on the ground for example, did not become a reality yet. This being doubtless due, at least partially, to the necessity of making financial and human means available for their realization.

Self-criticism of the project leader, pitfalls to be avoided

For several reasons, the lapse of time between the visit of companies and the hand over of their report was sometimes of more than 8 months, what is obviously very long. It seems to us important to try to reduce at most the lapse of time separating the visit of the company, the presentation of the report and the launch of concrete actions.

We can also regret the lack of communication to companies during the realization of the project. It indeed seems important to maintain companies informed about the realized, current or to come actions to keep a contact with these and hold them in in suspense.

[Fabian PLUMIER, Life-SMIGIN adviser, responsible of the park of Waremme]