Comparing industrial symbiosis in Europe: towards a conceptual framework and research methodology

Boons, Frank; Spekkink, Wouter; Isenmann, Ralf; Baas, Leenard; Eklund, Mats; Brullot, Sabrina; Deutz, Pauline; Gibbs, David; Massard, Guillaume; Arozamena, Elena Romero; Puente, Carmen Ruiz; Verguts, Veerle; Davis, Chris; Korevaar, Gijsbert; Costa, Inês; Baumann, Henrikke

doi:10.4337/9781781003572.00013

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This result matched the experience of a European network of researchers who have been working on a comparative project since 2010 (Boons et al. ). It seems that as the amount of empirical data on IS increases, it becomes more and more difficult for the research community to distill the findings in such a way that this material can be included in a comparative assessment.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics and the Problem of Equivalence: Proposal for a Comparative Framework

Boons¹,

Chertow²,

Park³

et al. 2016

J of Industrial Ecology

Self Cite

148

145

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Industrial symbiosis (IS), one of the founding notions within the field of industrial ecology, has diffused throughout significant parts of the world as a practice that can reduce the ecological impact of the industrial processes of groups of firms. In this article, we propose a fresh look at this research topic, building on the considerable advances that have been made in the last 15 years in understanding how IS comes about. We propose a conceptual and theoretical framework for taking on the challenge of comparative analysis at a global level. This requires developing an approach to address a solution to the problem of equivalence: the difficulty of comparing instances of IS across different institutional contexts. The proposed framework emphasizes IS as a process and attempts to address the obstacles to comparative study by (1) identifying terminology to examine IS variants, (2) providing a typology of IS dynamics, and (3) formulating key research questions to illuminate a way forward. In developing our argument, we build on the collective experiences of collaborative research efforts in North America, Europe, and Asia as evidenced in recent overviews of the literature. Note:The PLUS sign indicates the name of the core organization and that others from the same region or category also participated on the named team, as appropriate. Names of team leaders appear in bold.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics and the Problem of Equivalence: Proposal for a Comparative Framework

Boons¹,

Chertow²,

Park³

et al. 2016

J of Industrial Ecology

Self Cite

148

145

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Again drawing on the ecosystem analogy, the functioning of eco-industrial clusters is labeled Industrial Symbiosis, already defined as the interaction of separate businesses entities that create a cooperative network to achieve competitive advantage by physical exchange of materials, energy, water, and/or by-products as well as services and infrastructures (Chertow, 2000(Chertow, , 2007Ehrenfeld, 2004;Ehrenfeld & Gertler, 1997;Massard et al, 2014). From a technical standpoint, Industrial Symbiosis can take place in different ways: process oriented IS refers to a cooperative network around an industrial process; residue oriented IS refers to a cooperative network around a residual flow; place oriented IS refers to a cooperative network bound to a specific location (Boons et al, 2015). Also from an organizational standpoint IS can take place in different ways, namely anchor manufacturer, eco-cluster development, government planning and business incubator (Boons et al, 2011;Chertow, 2000;Mulrow, Derrible, Ashton, & Chopra, 2017;Sun, Spekkink, Cuppen, & Korevaar, 2017).…”

Section: Industrial Symbiosis In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The case that we select according to these criteria is an IS cluster located in the south of the Netherlands. Before starting our own investigation, we perform a background research online, on project reports and through academic publications in order to collect more information on the IS cluster (Boons et al, 2015(Boons et al, , 2017(Boons et al, , 2014Makkink, 2016;W. Spekkink, 2015).…”

Section: Case Study Selection and Background Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial Symbiosis: towards a design process for eco-industrial clusters by integrating Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology perspectives

Baldassarre

Schepers

Bocken

et al. 2019

Journal of Cleaner Production

254

134

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a collective approach to competitive advantage in which separate industries create a cooperative network to exchange materials, energy, water and/or by-products. By addressing issues related to resource depletion, waste management and pollution, IS plays an important role in the transition towards sustainable development. In the literature, two conceptual perspectives on IS can be identified: the Industrial Ecology (IE) and the Circular Economy (CE) perspective. Despite the recognition of these two perspectives, their relationship remains unclear and explicit attempts to develop an integrated perspective have not been made yet. Consequently, the goal of this research is to highlight and start addressing this critical gap of knowledge in order to support future research and practice geared towards the design of new IS clusters. We pose the following research question: How can the IE and CE perspectives on IS be combined in order to support the design of IS clusters? To this end, we first investigate the two perspectives more in depth and compare them in terms of nature, features and relevance for the study of IS. This is done by applying them as conceptual lenses for the analysis of the same case study, an existing IS cluster. The comparative analysis provides insights into how the two perspectives differ, ultimately demonstrating that they are complimentary and both necessary to fully describe an IS cluster. While the CE perspective is more suitable to explain how a cluster functions from a business standpoint in the operating phase, the IE perspective is more suitable to explain its development over time and its impacts on the environment, the economy and society. Building upon the outcomes of the comparative analysis, we leverage on the discipline of Strategic Design and integrate the two perspectives into a process for designing new IS clusters. We suggest two directions for future research. First, improving our comparative analysis of the two perspectives by looking at a wider and sample of IS clusters of different sizes and in different contexts. Second, focusing with more specificity on the issue of how IS clusters can be designed, potentially by trying to apply the process we propose on a real case aimed at designing a new IS cluster.

show abstract

“…Since 1989, academic literature has shed light on the fact that industry bears a resemblance to natural ecosystems [1], thus closing loops in the industrial socio-ecosystem means the integration of cascading uses, by-product synergies, pooling services and consolidated waste management in an effort of reconciliation with natural ecosystems, even though there are obvious differences from natural ecosystems [2][3][4]. In recent years, there has been a small but compelling set of studies into the role of Industrial symbiosis stakeholders, such as corporations, SMEs, business associations, anchor tenants and governmental agencies, which has provided enough evidence to recognize the advantages of industrial symbiosis integration in a social ecological dimension [5][6][7][8][9]. Although many studies have focused on industrial symbiosis (IS), most of them focus only on eco-efficiency [10], performance assessments [11] and technical exchange potential using chemical engineering [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics, a Strategy to Accomplish Complex Analysis: The Dunkirk Case Study

Morales

Diemer

2019

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Industrial symbiosis (IS) is presented as an inter-firm organizational strategy with the aim of social innovation that targets material and energy flow optimization but also structural sustainability. In this paper, we present geographical proximity as the theoretical framework used to analyse industrial symbiosis through a methodology based on System Dynamics and the underpinning use of Causal Loop Diagrams, aiming to identify the main drivers and hindrances that reinforce or regulate the industrial symbiosis's sustainability. The understanding of industrial symbiosis is embedded in a theoretical framework that conceptualizes industry as a complex ecosystem in which proximity analysis and stakeholder theory are determinant, giving this methodology a comparative advantage over descriptive statistical forecasting, because it is able to integrate social causal rationality when forecasting attractiveness in a region or individual firm's potential. A successful industrial symbiosis lasts only if it is able to address collective action problems. The stakeholders' influence then becomes essential to the complex understanding of this institution, because by shaping individual behaviour in a social context, industrial symbiosis provides a degree of coordination and cooperation in order to overcome social dilemmas for actors who cannot achieve their own goals alone. The proposed narrative encourages us to draw up scenarios, integrating variables from different motivational value dimensions: efficiency, resilience, cooperation and proximity in the industrial symbiosis. We use the Dunkirk case study to explain the role of geographical systems analysis, identifying loops that reinforce or regulate the sustainability of industrial symbiosis and identifying three leverage points: "Training, workshop and education programs for managers and directors," "Industrial symbiosis governance" and "Agreements in waste regulation conflicts." The social dynamics aims for the consolidation of the network, through stakeholder interaction and explains the local success and failure of every industrial symbiosis through a system dynamics analysis.

show abstract

Comparing industrial symbiosis in Europe: towards a conceptual framework and research methodology

Abstract: ISBN 978 1 78100 356 5 (cased) ISBN 978 1 78100 357 2 (eBook)

Cited by 15 publications

References 0 publications

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics and the Problem of Equivalence: Proposal for a Comparative Framework

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics and the Problem of Equivalence: Proposal for a Comparative Framework

Industrial Symbiosis: towards a design process for eco-industrial clusters by integrating Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology perspectives

Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics, a Strategy to Accomplish Complex Analysis: The Dunkirk Case Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About