Structure and morphology of industrial symbiosis networks: The case of Kalundborg

Abstract

Within the field of industrial ecology, Industrial Symbiosis (IS) has emerged as a body of exchange structures to progress to a more eco-efficient industrial system. By establishing a collaborative web of knowledge, material and energy exchanges among different organisational units, IS networks aim to reduce the intake of virgin materials and lower the production of waste by the industrial sector. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the operation of IS networks by focussing on the structure and morphology of IS networks and their patterns of interaction and how this influences the outcomes of the collaboration, both in economic and environmental terms. Social Network Analysis (SNA) has been adopted here as the main methodological framework and has been applied to the IS network in Kalundborg (Denmark), proving useful in the analysis of the structural characteristics of the network and the understanding of the role that different actors play. The paper concludes that SNA provides a comprehensive methodological and analytical framework to understand the structural elements of IS networks.