Your contact : Yves Faverjon
y.faverjon@provence-promotion.fr


The future in Provence – banking on the Environment

In order to protect the magnificent but fragile ecological sites such as the Calanques, the Camargue, the Crau plain, the montaint of Sainte-Victoire and the Alpilles hills, the Bouches du Rhône area has decided to make environmental preservation one of its major concerns.

Trades and industries relating to the environment are of vital strategic importance for the XXIst century and are emerging as key factors in sustainable economic development. Provence already offers first class expertise in many fields linked to the environment.

An ideal location, a strategic marketplace

Thanks to the presence of leading eco-enterprises and environment-oriented sites.

Businesses can find here solutions and partners to support them in their quest for new markets, particularly in southern Europe and around the Mediterranean.

Located at the center of the Mediterranean arc, it benefits from first class transport infrastructures:

- largest port in France and in the Mediterranean,
- European large-gauge river transport facilities,
- The TGV Mediterranean high-speed train line putting Paris only 3 hours away from Provence,
- Marseille-Provence International Airport,
- A dense motorway service.

A center of excellence devoted to the environment

Europôle Méditerranéen de l'Arbois is the number one European research park devoted to the environment. It is certified ISO 14001 and brings together on a single site private companies, research laboratories and training centers all working in environmentally related disciplines. The park pursues three main objectives :
- Promoting green industry,
- Ensuring technology transfer to companies,
- Attracting new companies through a large-scale real-estate offer. http://www.europole-med-arbois.org

Land is also available in other business developments :
- The Gardanne mining area,
- The research parks of Château Gombert,
- The shores of the Etang de Berre.

Specialist training and education…

The Aix-Marseille regional education offers courses in all environmental subjects, with 45 specialist courses, including 14 at post-graduate level, as well as a pool of high-quality vocational and continuing education centers.

- IUP ENTES (Environment, Technology and Society) in Marseilles, with 100 graduates obtaining their engineering masters degree every year in several specialist disciplines. www.up.univ-mrs.fr/wiupenv
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire de l’Eau et de l’Environnement, in Marseilles.
- PRNT: (Prevention of technological risks and pollution) in Marseilles.
- I-MaGE (Institute for environmental management): offers advanced courses in environmental management by a network of professionals at Europôle de l'Arbois.

Engineering schools in Provence (ESIM, ESM2, ENSSPICAM, …) are all entering into partnerships with businesses and integrating the environment into their courses.

…and a world-class research center.

With more than 10,000 researchers, Provence ranks 2nd in France in terms of public research. It plays host to some of the leading scientific organizations and laboratories in the environmental field, such as CNRS, BRGM, GRESCOP,…

Other examples:

CEA - Cadarache: Nuclear research center, also active in fields relating to environmental preservation and offering direct technical assistance to businesses via CETREM. www.cad.cea.fr

CEREGE - Europôle de l’Arbois: This center employs 150 people specializing in environmental geosciences. www.cerege.fr

CEMAGREF - Aix-en-Provence: Research center focusing on environmental and agricultural engineering. www.cemagref.fr

Water in Provence – a world center

Provence has the largest irrigated land area in France, and its mains water for domestic and industrial use is the best in the country in terms of quality and reliability of supply.

Water and sanitation management play a major role in the economy of Provence, accounting for 3% of GDP, with over 500 companies employing nearly 9,000 men and women.

The region's expertise in this field is recognized throughout the world, a fact upheld by the presence of numerous international organizations and centers of excellence.

- World Water Council : the Council recognized Provençal know-how by electing to set up its headquarters in Marseilles. The chief task of the Council is to forecast water demand and the impact of technology. www.worldwatercouncil.org

- Société des Eaux de Marseille (S.E.M.) : the main task of SEM has been to manage the water supply and to provide the cities of Provence with safe, high-quality, water. SEM is also involved in the sanitation and industrial waste water treatment. www.eauxdemarseille.fr

- Société du Canal de Provence (S.C.P.) : the company has been responsible for the construction and management of hydraulic structures required for the region's development, the most important of these structures being the Canal de Provence. Among other things, these systems supply petrochemical and microelectronic plants. www.canal-de-provence.com

- HYDROTOP : International trade fair and business convention, a Euromediterranean forum for players in the sanitation and water distribution business, held in Marseilles. www.hydrotop.com

- ÉA – is a network bringing together 70 companies in the water management sector, set up to widen their range of activities and promote their development by supporting innovation and global expansion. www.ea-pole-eau.com

- GUIGUES S.A. : is a company based in Aix-en-Provence, employing specialists in different aspects of water and environmental management.

Cleanup, preservation, recycling – top priorities for tomorrow's world

The large industrial groups set up in Provence are clearly determined to implement processes to minimize the environmental impact of their activities.

To illustrate this point, firms such as BP CHEMICALS, LYONDELL, ATOFINA, SHELL, STMICROELECTRONICS and SOLLAC devote between 10% and 20% of their investment to the preservation of their sites.

In addition, the local authorities are stepping up their initiatives to reduce waste to the minimum, promote selective waste collection, sorting and recycling, and encourage the search for new outlets, in particular by attracting firms specialized in finding adding value for waste products.

ORTEC ENVIRONNEMENT (Groupe ORTEC) is specialized in sanitation, waste management and treatment and site cleanup. Bio Centre ORSEM, working in partnership with SEM, is a key figure in the treatment and reclamation of industrial mud and polluted land. www.ortec-group.com

SOLAMAT-MEREX (Groupe SARP Industries–Onyx) is a specialist in the treatment and reclamation of special industrial waste. www.sarpindustries.fr

BRONZO, TEP, SILIM-ENVIRONNEMENT, BIOTECHNA (Groupe des Eaux de Marseille) are involved in selective waste collection and sorting muds and domestic, green and industrial waste with a view to generating added value. www.eauxdemarseille.fr

SERES manufactures on-line industrial analyzers designed for environmental monitoring. It does business in 45 countries and has a highly developed R&D activity with laboratories in the industrial and academic world.

ENVIRONNEMENT INNOVATION : an association of small and medium-sized businesses promoting the emergence and development of eco-industries in the waste management sector.

Risk management – perfectly controlled experience

Industrial safety is very highly developed in Provence, owing to the high population density and the extensive presence of heavy industry.

Provence has managed to build up specific and widely recognized expertise in the management of risks – both natural and technological. This expertise is based on the activities of the following entities :

- SPPPI (Permanent Secretariat for Problems relating to Industrial Pollution) : Joint action group pooling different industries and institutions and covering all industrial and environmental risks.

- Institut Méditerranéen des Cindyniques : science of hazards. www.infoeco.org

- FOST (Fast Oil Spill Team), one of 2 European companies dealing with oil and chemical pollution, managed by AtoFinaElf.

- CYPRES : Public information center for the prevention of industrial risks and environmental protection. www.cypres.org

- INERIS : analysis and diagnostics specialist in the field of industrial risks and pollution (water, air, soil). www.ineris.fr

- Mediterranean Green Helmets Association. www.infoeco.org

- Groupe COMEX : specialist in operations in extreme environments. www.comex.com

- BRGM (Office for Geological and Mining Research). The Marseilles team works on seismic hazards and in retardant labs. www.brgm.fr

- SOMEI and PRAXITEC : develop industrial computer tools for risk management.

Renewable energy sources in Provence – a future full of promise

Since the Kyoto protocol in 1997 and with the support of recent European Union directives, renewable energy sources are taking up an increasingly large and vital share of the world energy market.

The new EDF green electricity rates, together with aid programs and incentives, ensure good cost-effectiveness and a secure future for these newcomers to the world of energy.

Provence benefits from a wealth of natural resources (wind, sun, water) and its renewable energy development potential is among the highest in Europe.

For these reasons, setting up new projects and attracting players in this field of the economy – whether wind, solar, biomass, energy wood or small-scale hydroelectricity – are high on the list of priorities for the coming years.

Bouches du Rhône is already host to a number of leading players in the sector:

- ATV - Fuveau : makes large wind turbine blades
- ÉOLE Industries - La Ciotat : manufactures wind turbine masts
- GIORDANO Industries – Aubagne : leading manufacturer of solar collectors in France
- TECSEN – Marseille : laboratory employing 60 researchers in the field of silicium and photovoltaic systems.
- ENERPLAN - Gardanne : association of professionals for the development of renewable energy sources.

Groupe des Eaux de Marseille forms a network of more than 20 companies that develop and export their know-how in all environmental specialties. The group's specialists are using their expertise and experience to face the biggest challenge of the new millennium – preserving the environment.

With a work force of 2,500 and annual sales of 381 million euros, the group has become a key player not only in the field of water supply, sanitation, waste collection and reclamation, but also in community and industrial information technology, lighting and the living environment. The group has now turned its attention to the business services sector for its further development.

The group's reputation stretches well beyond Marseilles and it has now gained a firm foothold overseas, with a particularly strong presence in the countries of the Mediterranean basin and in Latin America. www.eauxdemarseille.fr