Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure the environmental benefits of industrial symbiosis in an industrial cluster of SMEs

Abstract

Collaborative approach and infrastructures sharing are key industrial symbiosis initiatives adopted in clusters of SMEs. Several studies have dealt with the environmental benefits of industrial symbiosis however only a few have adopted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess the benefits of these initiatives on the typical product of the cluster. Our paper presents the case of an Italian tannery cluster located in Tuscany. Through the calculation of an LCA with average data, our study compares the impact category results between two scenarios: the existing scenario where the IS initiatives are implemented and the other where these initiatives are less developed. The results show the positive contribution of these initiatives in several LCA impact categories such as climate change and terrestrial eutrophication.