Abstract
The emergence of self-organized industrial symbiosis (IS) is based on the expectations of industrial actors regarding financial and/or environmental benefits through symbiotic inter-company linkages. One such linkage is the exchange of by-products as substitutes for primary raw materials. However, the company generating the by-product may even not be aware of potential application fields in other industries. In cases where the by-product triggers an innovation, the very early phase of the innovation process (“early front-end”—EFE) is extremely important, as it is here that a first rough picture of future application fields must be defined. In contrast to traditional market innovations of industries, the EFE of IS innovations is triggered by the existence of a certain by-product. As conventional innovation models are not very helpful in supporting the EFE decisions in IS innovations, our paper aims to establish a link between self-organized IS and innovation by creating a specific theoretical framework for the support of EFE decisions. We thus introduce the “stage-gate model of self-organized IS innovations” and place a particular emphasis on the early phases within this model. Subsequently, we illustrate the application of the early phases of the model in a case study on lignin utilization in the Austrian paper and pulp industry (P&P industry). In this way, the study contributes to a better understanding of the peculiarities and conditions of EFE decisions in IS innovations and their significance in the emergence of self-organized IS networks.
Highlights
industrial symbiosis (IS) leads to a shift from the traditional linear through-put model to a circular model of industrial systems, and applies the principles of industrial ecology by engaging “traditionally separate industries in a collective approach to competitive advantage involving physical exchange of materials, energy, water, and/or by-products” [1] (p. 313)
The most important motivation for companies that are involved within an IS is the realization of economic benefits, e.g., by reducing the costs of virgin raw materials or disposal costs
It leads to additional environmental benefits since the exchanged waste, by-product, or energy is used as a substitute for a primary resource and a reduction of the consumption of virgin material and energy inputs, as well as a reduction of waste and emissions, is possible [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
Summary
IS leads to a shift from the traditional linear through-put model to a circular model of industrial systems, and applies the principles of industrial ecology by engaging “traditionally separate industries in a collective approach to competitive advantage involving physical exchange of materials, energy, water, and/or by-products” [1] (p. 313). Waste needs to be incinerated and/or landfilled and entails additional costs, as well as a negative environmental impact It is important for both industry and society to attempt to reduce the amount of waste by seeking recycling possibilities, i.e., to transform waste products into marketable by-products. As in many cases, the recycling potential within one’s own firm is rather limited [8,9], and a serious attempt needs to be made to identify additional potential application fields for by-products as substitutes for raw materials in external production processes This naturally leads to the idea of inter-company collaboration through IS, which aims at converting waste into by-products that can be used as secondary raw-materials
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