Industrial Symbiosis for Resource and Material Savings
This demonstrator presents Industrial Symbiosis (IS) enabling the synergistic exchange of waste streams, by-products, water, and energy among companies operating within a local, regional, or virtual ecosystem.
What is Industrial Symbiosis?
IS is a collaborative approach linked to the circular economy and focused on identifying underutilised resources that would otherwise become waste prematurely, enabling their use as raw materials in industries from other sectors and facilitating their reintegration into the value chain. This practice promotes interactions between industrial activities and their environmental and geographical context, extending the productive life of resources and effectively translating the principles of the circular economy into practice. We distinguish three types of synergies in IS.
Mutuality Synergies
Shared use of services, facilities, or infrastructure among participating companies — energy supply systems, waste treatment facilities, logistics, and training.
Substitution Synergies
Residual flows from one company used as input resources by another — by-products, waste materials, or residual heat extending the useful life of raw materials.
Genesis Synergies
Creation of new activities or businesses aimed at enabling the reuse or valorisation of specific resource flows within the industrial ecosystem.
Industrial symbiosis and resilience: Industrial symbiosis can strengthen supply chain resilience by reducing dependence on virgin raw materials and external suppliers, while fostering local collaboration and resource efficiency. Through the reuse of by-products, waste streams, and residual resources such as water, as well as sharing energy from renewable sources, companies are better equipped to respond to supply disruptions and fluctuations in material availability.
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