Environmental protection is often seen as a cost rather than an investment. The experience of VinIndustry Industrial Park in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region demonstrates the opposite: effective environmental risk management can generate tangible savings while creating new opportunities for sustainable development.
VinIndustry Industrial Park is located alongside the small Tiazhylivka River. For many years, the river was regarded primarily as a stormwater drainage channel, with seasonal flooding considered its main challenge. This perspective changed after the park joined the GEIPP-II Ukraine project in 2025. Working with UNIDO experts, the park’s management company reviewed its concept plan against the International Framework for Eco-Industrial Parks, taking environmental risks into account. As a result, the river was no longer viewed as a problem to be managed, but as a natural asset that could contribute to the park’s long-term sustainability.
The management company identified that the Tiazhylivka River is included in Vinnytsia’s Small Rivers Development Concept to 2035, adopted in 2023. Building on that concept and the EIP model, the park’s riverside strip was designated as an area for conserving local biodiversity with limited visitor access. This approach helps to avoid future costs related to stormwater run-off, minor flooding, cleaning and repair of drainage systems and other environmental risks. Accordingly, in 2026 the park developed its Biodiversity Protection Plan to 2030, defining the baseline status of the area, key risks, recommended nature-based and supporting engineering solutions, and an overall action plan for conserving biodiversity and the aquatic environment within the park’s zone of influence.
The results have environmental, economic and social dimensions at once. With a capital investment of around €90,000 to implement the plan, expected direct annual cost savings amount to up to €15,000. The biodiversity focus also opens opportunities to attract targeted grants and co-financing. The park’s development is aligned with Vinnytsia’s “Green Deal” and the municipal Small Rivers Development Concept, strengthening its role in preserving the city’s ecosystem. Moreover, thanks to this example and potential cooperation with the park, at least two other organisations will build their capacity in EIP management.
The VinIndustry story reflects a core idea of the project: an eco-industrial park is not a formal status but a business model in which a responsible approach to the environment makes the park more efficient, more risk-resilient and more attractive to investors and partners.
The GEIPP-II Ukraine project is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, with funding from the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
