The Department of Environmental Engineering for Organizations (GEO) focuses its research on support mechanisms for organizations and territories in their ecological and energy transition. By drawing on Environmental Sciences, the GEO department develops innovative methods and tools to analyze, model, assess, and simulate industrial processes and territorial systems, thereby contributing to the sustainability of industry, territories, and the cities of the future.
Head
Jonathan Villot
Email: villot@mines-stetienne.fr
Telephone: +33 4 77 42 01 34
Areas of Expertise
Core Competencies
The GEO department leverages multidisciplinary expertise to support the transition toward more sustainable and resilient systems:
- Analysis and modelling of complex systems
Study of interactions between industries, territories, and resources to optimize their management. - Environmental assessment and Life Cycle Assessment
Methods for quantifying the environmental impacts of products, services, and organizations. - Circular Economy
Methods for characterizing the potential for synergies between companies/organizations within territories, and for territorial planning of waste management and resource pooling. - Planetary boundaries and absolute environmental sustainability assessment
Territorialization of planetary boundaries at the scale of territories or industrial activities with an absolute sustainability assessment approach. - Sustainability of Socio-Technical Systems
Characterization and assessment of the sustainability of various socio-technical systems (low-tech / high-tech) and integration into territorial planning strategies (symbioses, waste recovery and resource supply chains).
Integration of strong sustainability issues in design and circular economy. - Resilience and adaptation to climate risks
Approaches to prevent and limit the impact of environmental disasters and crises.
Fields of activity
The department operates in several strategic sectors to address the environmental and organizational challenges faced by companies and territories.
- Sustainable industry and production
Reducing the ecological footprint of manufacturing processes and optimizing production flows within a strong sustainability context. - Energy transition and resource management
Strategies for responsible, lower-energy consumption. - Urban planning and land use planning
Design of solutions to optimize and promote resilient cities. - Circular economy and industrial symbiosis
Development of methods to characterize territories in support of deploying circular economy strategies. - Waste management
Optimizing waste-flow management to reduce environmental impact. - Risk management and climate change adaptation
Decision-support tools to anticipate the effects of climate change and contribute to urban resilience. - Digital technology and environmental intelligence
Leveraging data and digital technologies to improve the environmental impact of industries and territories.
Thanks to this dual scientific and applied approach, the GEO department supports companies and territories in their transition toward more responsible, sustainable, and resilient practices.
Research Areas
The research areas are structured around three main pillars, aimed at developing innovative solutions to support the environmental transition of organizations and territories.
- Circular economy and low-tech
Supporting the transition of organizations within territories toward circular economy approaches across different levels of sustainability. - Planetary boundaries and absolute environmental sustainability assessment
Systemic approach aimed at respecting planetary boundaries and promoting absolute sustainability assessment, by developing decision-support tools for territories and organizations. - Resilience and adaptation to climate change
Implementation of methodologies and tools to strengthen territorial resilience to climate change, by identifying vulnerabilities, modeling risks, and proposing adaptation strategies.
Research unit
The Environmental Engineering for Organizations (GEO) department plays a key role within the Environment, City, Society (EVS) laboratory by leveraging its expertise in territorial systems modeling, industrial ecology, and environmental assessment. It contributes particularly to the “flow circulation” workshop. Its contribution enables the development of innovative tools and methodologies to analyze the impacts of human activities on the environment and improve sustainable resource management. Through an approach integrating the circular economy and territorial resilience, the GEO department contributes to the development of predictive models and ecological transition scenarios, thereby facilitating decision-making for urban and industrial development stakeholders. This participation in UMR 5600 EVS provides a systemic and operational vision of sustainability and territorial adaptation issues in the face of environmental challenges, in line with the unit’s new unifying theme: “Global Change, Territories, Inequalities”.
The GEO department positions itself as a key player in promoting sustainable industrial and territorial practices, thereby contributing to building a more resilient and environmentally responsible future.
Contact and Practical Information
- Head
Jonathan Villot - Email
villot@mines-stetienne.fr - Telephone
+33 4 77 42 01 34
- Address
École des mines de Saint-Étienne
Henri Fayol Institute
29, rue Ponchardier
42023 Saint-Étienne, France - Transport
Bus: Line 6, stop “Congress Center”