Industrial Site Transformations: From Bankrupt Relics to Eco-Social Innovation Centers

Kovács, Olivér (2026) Industrial Site Transformations: From Bankrupt Relics to Eco-Social Innovation Centers. ICEG EC Research Report. pp. 1-9.

Preview

Text RR_July2026.pdf - Published Version Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Challenging the conventional neoliberal economic paradigm that categorizes distressed, legacy, or unprofitable manufacturing operations as terminal zombie firms destined for liquidation, this paper investigates how bankrupt industrial sites can be successfully transformed into vibrant hubs of eco-social innovation. Grounded in the theoretical framework of economic exaptation– the functional repurposing of existing assets for sustainable ends we examine four diverse European case studies: Fralib (France) through worker-led local autonomy; GKN Florence (Italy) via the socially integrated factory model; Ørsted (Denmark) through a macro-scale fossil-to-green corporate transition; and Umicore (Belgium) via circular resource and electric vehicle material pioneering. By synthesizing these empirical trajectories with contemporary degrowth scholarship, this study demonstrates that industrial zombification is not merely a market pathology requiring extermination, but a critical site of political-economic recovery. The findings suggest a vital roadmap for future industrial policy, advocating for proactive public and democratic interventions that rescue stranded legacy infrastructure, dismantle extractive global supply chains, and institutionalize post-growth socio-ecological resilience.

Actions (login required)

View Item