82
network in Europe and signifi cant rail and canal infrastructure (Nord-Pas de calais
Regional Council 2013 ) (Fig. 7.1 ).
The Northern France region has been actively pursuing a transformation towards
more sustainable economic models for many years. The non-for profi t organization
cd2e was established in 2002 to support this “eco-transition”. As early as 2007, cd2e
and their partners identifi ed Life Cycle approaches as a needed decision- making
tool to help local industry to implement Life Cycle Management. Cd2e created the
[avniR] platform in 2009 to bring together multiple stakeholders around this challenging issue. This collective approach was needed to foster the supply and demand
for LCA at the same time and has evolved from a focus on assessment to the support
of companies in their efforts to improve their sustainability performance using
LCM. On the LCM demand side, [avniR] works with industry clusters and public
authorities to explain life cycle approaches and develop collaborative projects
([avnir] 2015 ). On the supply side, [avniR] provides training and a “hub” for academics and consultants to improve their capacity in Life Cycle Assessment, ecodesign and LCA based communication (Bjørn et al. 2013 ). Over 300 people have
been trained in LCA/LCM through the platform, and more than 90 individual projects have been directly and indirectly supported.
Key milestones for the [avniR] platform include:
• 2011: fi rst annual international [avniR] conference organized in Lille
• 2012: fi rst ecodesign prize organized with different regional actors, in partnership with the Institut de Développement de Produits and Novae in Québec
• 2012: sectorial LCM studies launched in the textile, seafood, packaging and
mechanical sectors
Fig. 7.1 The northern France region
N. Adibi et al.
network in Europe and signifi cant rail and canal infrastructure (Nord-Pas de calais
Regional Council 2013 ) (Fig. 7.1 ).
The Northern France region has been actively pursuing a transformation towards
more sustainable economic models for many years. The non-for profi t organization
cd2e was established in 2002 to support this “eco-transition”. As early as 2007, cd2e
and their partners identifi ed Life Cycle approaches as a needed decision- making
tool to help local industry to implement Life Cycle Management. Cd2e created the
[avniR] platform in 2009 to bring together multiple stakeholders around this challenging issue. This collective approach was needed to foster the supply and demand
for LCA at the same time and has evolved from a focus on assessment to the support
of companies in their efforts to improve their sustainability performance using
LCM. On the LCM demand side, [avniR] works with industry clusters and public
authorities to explain life cycle approaches and develop collaborative projects
([avnir] 2015 ). On the supply side, [avniR] provides training and a “hub” for academics and consultants to improve their capacity in Life Cycle Assessment, ecodesign and LCA based communication (Bjørn et al. 2013 ). Over 300 people have
been trained in LCA/LCM through the platform, and more than 90 individual projects have been directly and indirectly supported.
Key milestones for the [avniR] platform include:
• 2011: fi rst annual international [avniR] conference organized in Lille
• 2012: fi rst ecodesign prize organized with different regional actors, in partnership with the Institut de Développement de Produits and Novae in Québec
• 2012: sectorial LCM studies launched in the textile, seafood, packaging and
mechanical sectors
Fig. 7.1 The northern France region
N. Adibi et al.