National Industrial Symbiosis Programme Research Articles

On the implementation of a circular economy: The role of institutional capacity-building through industrial symbiosis

This paper explores the role of institutional capacity-building through industrial symbiosis in the development of a circular economy. Actors directly or indirectly involved within the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) in the UK, including companies, government agencies, industrial symbiosis promoters, academia, the media and NGOs, were interviewed. Content analysis was used to make inferences from the interviews. Our results indicate that institutional capacity is created through interactions between a favorable institutional field and the identification of business opportunities by actors. It was found that NISP increased its institutional capacity to develop industrial symbiosis by increasing knowledge and relational resources and by promoting its capacity for mobilization. We identified the forces that are driving the shift from the current and traditional linear material and energy flows to a circular economy. Overall the study indicates that the UK government is playing a vital role in building and maintaining an industrial symbiosis coordination network, but that ultimately other actors and driving forces will be necessary if the cyclical flow of materials and energy and systemic thinking are to be achieved.

Initiating resource partnerships for industrial symbiosis

Industrial symbiosis is a strategy to limit carbon emissions whilst promoting resource efficiency and business development. This study interprets industrial symbiosis as waste-to-resource innovation. Understanding how these innovations are actually realized, and hence how they can be promoted by public and private partners, is still limited. Particularly, initiating resource partnerships for waste-to-resource innovations in the absence of a government-funded facilitator, such as previously the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) in the UK, has remained underexplored. This paper explores how companies identify potential resource partners in terms of network and geographical distances. Based on case studies of waste-to-resource innovation in the Humber region of the UK, the paper concludes that (1) companies can identify resource partners among/through their direct contacts that are involved in resource production/management themselves; and (2) that about 73% of these connections are located within a 75 miles’ radius. Furthermore, various new ‘facilitators’ were identified, demonstrating the need for a refined government approach to facilitate industrial symbiosis as part of the wider transition towards the circular economy.

The role of geospatial industrial diversity in the facilitation of regional industrial symbiosis

This paper explores geospatial industrial diversity and its influence on the brokerage of industrial symbiosis working agreements (otherwise known as synergies). Research conducted in 2011 concluded that within third-party brokered resource exchanges between two or more normally unrelated companies, the industrial diversity of a given geographic area was the primary driver behind how far a material travels from its point of origin to its point of reuse. This conclusion was largely derived from intuition and the elimination of other widely discussed drivers or limitations to symbiotic resource movement (e.g., mental distances, resource value and/or the physical characteristics of a resource). The presented article sets out to empirically test this suggestion by mapping the geospatial industrial diversity of England and comparing it to the movement of resources within synergies facilitated by the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP). Among other results, it was established that there are correlations between geospatial industrial diversity and the distance materials move in addition to the number of synergy types and the replication of synergies facilitated within a given area. It was found that 76% of synergies were facilitated within areas of high (upper 10% of values) contiguous diversity, areas of high ‘species’ richness possessed a greater variety of synergies, and areas of high synergy replication were areas of high ‘species’ population evenness. Based on a sensitivity analysis of diversity indices and diversity mapping techniques, it was concluded that high ‘species’ richness provided the greatest opportunities for realising local industrial symbiosis.

Is There Cash in That Trash?

SummaryPast work on industrial symbiosis (IS) includes a wealth of case studies across diverse settings, including industrial estates, economic regions, and IS networks. Though this work provides needed insight into factors shaping IS, much of it has been descriptive in nature. Relatively few findings have been subjected to hypothesis development and testing. In this study, we develop and empirically test a number of hypotheses on factors influencing IS exchange development, using a unique national‐level IS data set of 1,322 individual material resource‐based exchanges facilitated through the United Kingdom's National Industrial Symbiosis Programme. Our findings affirm and extend the literature in a number of ways. In particular, we found that a firm's number of identified waste streams decreased the likelihood of initiating an exchange, but increased the likelihood of completing it once initiated. We also found, counter to the literature, that diversity among partnering firms reduced the likelihood of both initiating and completing an IS exchange. Finally, we found that higher economic value exchanges were more likely to be initiated, but less likely to be completed. We discuss implications and conclude with a number of avenues for future research.

NISP-Based Research on the System Structure of Urban Symbiosis Network in China

Based on the origin and meaning of symbiosis, this paper explores the concept of industrial symbiosis and points out the industrial symbiotic has a win-win effect in the field of socio-economic. In China, the main practical pattern of industrial symbiosis is eco-industrial park, but it has some restriction factors and unreasonable arrangements which would be difficult to eliminate in the short term. Through the research of origin, formation mechanism, organizational framework and operational framework of UK’s National Industrial Symbiosis Programme, this paper points out building urban symbiosis network in a government promoted model is the best way to realize regional industrial ecology in China. Then this paper sort out the system structure, i.e. network organizational structure and responsibilities of participating members.

‘Habitat’ Suitability Index Mapping for Industrial Symbiosis Planning

SummaryBy ‘working with the willing’, the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) has successfully facilitated industrial symbiosis throughout the United Kingdom and, in the process, delivered significant economic and environmental benefits for both Programme members and the country as a whole. One of the keys to NISP's success is that, unlike failed attempts to plan and construct eco‐industrial systems from scratch, the Programme works largely with existing companies who have already settled in, developed, and successfully operate within a given locale. This article argues that existing and mature industrial systems provide the best prospects for identifying opportunities for, and ultimately facilitating, industrial symbiosis. Due to levels of diversification and operational fundamental niches that, in the fullness of time, develop within all industrial systems, industrially mature areas are deemed to be industrial symbiosis ‘conducive environments’. Building on the conservation biology concept of a habitat suitability index, the article presents a methodology for comparing a potential site for eco‐industrial development to a known baseline industrial ‘habitat’ already identified as being highly conducive to industrial symbiosis. The suitability index methodology is further developed and applied to a multi‐criteria evaluation geographic information system to produce a ‘habitat’ suitability map that allows practitioners to quickly identify potential industrial symbiosis hotspots (the methodology is illustrated for England). The article concludes by providing options for the development of symbiosis suitability indices and how they can be used to support the facilitation of industrial symbiosis and regional resource efficiency.

Quantifying ‘geographic proximity’: Experiences from the United Kingdom's National Industrial Symbiosis Programme

Geographic proximity is said to be a key characteristic of the resource reuse and recycling practice known as industrial symbiosis. To date, however, proximity of symbiont companies has remained an abstract characteristic. By conducting a statistical analysis of synergies facilitated by the United Kingdom's National Industrial Symbiosis Programme during their first five years of operation, this article attempts to quantify geographic proximity and in the process provide practitioners with an insight into the movement trends of different waste streams. Among other it was found that the median distance materials travelled within a symbiotic relationship is 20.4 miles. It is argued that quantitative information of this form is of practical value for the effective deployment of industrial symbiosis practitioners and wider resource efficiency planning. The results and discussion presented within this article are specific to industrial symbiosis opportunities facilitated within the United Kingdom; the methodology and assessment of resource movement influences are, however, expected to be relevant to all countries in which industrial activity is similarly mature and diversified.

The Role of Audited Benefits in Industrial Symbiosis: The U.K. National Industrial Symbiosis Programme

The Role of Audited Benefits in Industrial Symbiosis: The U.K. National Industrial Symbiosis Programme

The Role of Audited Benefits in Industrial Symbiosis: The U.K. National Industrial Symbiosis Programme

The Role of Audited Benefits in Industrial Symbiosis: The U.K. National Industrial Symbiosis Programme

Experiences from early stages of a national industrial symbiosis programme in the UK: determinants and coordination challenges

Experiences from early stages of a national industrial symbiosis programme in the UK: determinants and coordination challenges

Experiences from early stages of a national industrial symbiosis programme in the UK: determinants and coordination challenges

This paper reviews the factors influencing the development and sustained operation of regional industrial symbiosis (IS) networks and discusses the roles a coordination body can play to alter these factors so as to catalyse the development and functioning of such networks. These are analysed within the context of experiences gained in the early stages of three regional IS programmes under development in the UK, and of the recently launched national IS programme (NISP) that they are part of. It is stated that the policy framework in the UK has elements supportive of such networks to evolve, and the regional public bodies are favouring their development. Based on differences among studied cases, it is argued that the nature of companies’ operations and industrial history in the regions, the extent of peer pressure, the positioning of the coordinating body in the region, and its approach to awareness raising and recruitment have major influence on the progress of the programmes. Finally, the paper emphasises the importance of aligning the characteristics of emerging operations with the longer-term sustainability requirements. If accepted, this challenge assigns additional responsibilities to the coordinating parties.

Industrial Ecology as a learning process in business strategy

For Industrial Ecology to be successful, it will need to be adopted by many practitioners in industrial society, at different system levels (e.g. company, region, national). This paper adapts the technology transfer model developed by Seaton and Cordey-Hayes by combining it with the idea of industrial ecology as a learning process. The resulting model is applied at the company, network and government level. Its use is illustrated with case studies from research on regional industrial symbiosis in Scotland, the recently formed National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (UK) and the Scottish Industrial Symbiosis Programme. The model helps to understand how differing practitioners, at different levels, can be influenced by a range of factors and how IE can become part of their strategy. Industrial Symbiosis is seen as a way to induce a cultural shift by fostering inter-company co-operation within a region, building on previous partnerships, and involving a range of actors.