This thesis aims to study raw materials for perfume manufactury's cluster in western Mediterranean and focuses on its ability to enhance natural resources. Over the last decade, natural substances are attracting growing interest from both perfumes and cosmetics manufacturers and consumers, in a context that favoured sustainable development. They also enhance territorial matters such as landscapes, industrial technology, local practices. Furthermore, actors's network ensure the competitiveness of each productive system, as regards new environmental standards. This "network effect" generates economic and cultural externalities ; then, we hypothesize that these externalities generated by the productive systems of western Mediterranean may be vectors of innovation. In order to show the dynamics and the relationships which link the actors of the cluster, and symbolizing the core of territories's dynamics, the thesis focuses on a comparative approach in relying on the concepts of productive system, innovative "milieu" and cultural economy. It also borrows elements of heritage and landscape analysis. The study concerns five countries of western Mediterranean in which we selected representative samples : the french region Provence- Alpes-Côte d'Azur, cradle of industrial perfume, the Mediterranean coast of Spain and the Madrid-Murcia axis, the Rabat-Fez axis and the Dades Valley in Morocco, Cap Bon in Tunisia, and the italian region of Calabria. Then, this study provides refections on interregional cooperation in a Mediterranean approach. This work is conducted in partnership with FranceAgriMer Volx (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France), former Office National et Interprofessionel des plantes à parfum, aromatiques et médicinales
