Regional industrial recycling network in energy supply—the case of Joensuu city, Finland

Abstract

AbstractIndustrial recycling networks offer an example of the practical application of some of the industrial ecology (IE) principles. In the industrial ecosystem and eco‐industrial park approaches the material cycles and energy cascades in a natural ecosystem serve as the metaphoric vision for a local/regional industrial system in which waste material and waste (residual) energy are utilized through cooperation between the actors in the system. In this paper, a local/regional recycling network scenario is presented with the energy supply system of the city of Joensuu in Finland. The conditions of success include the co‐production of heat and electricity (heat and power, CHP), waste energy utilization for industrial steam and renewable flow use as fuel. Some difficulties in the industrial ecosystem‐type development of the system are discussed. Methodological suggestions for industrial ecosystem and eco‐industrial park case studies are considered and the experience from this Finnish case is discussed in terms of wider application of IE in local/regional economic energy systems. For future research on the theme, it is suggested that regional industrial ecology may benefit from regional economics theory and, vice versa, regional economics theory may find a new area of application in regional industrial ecology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.