The project demonstrates that industrial and urban symbiosis is not merely a technical matter of optimising energy and material flows. For solutions to work in practice, organisations, relationships between stakeholders, governance and social factors must also be taken into account.
The findings show, amongst other things, that:
- Collaboration and relationships are key. Trust, communication and a shared understanding are crucial to whether different stakeholders can work together, even when the technical and financial conditions are favourable. At the same time, different stakeholders have different objectives, resources and views on the benefits and risks involved in collaboration.
- Value creation needs to be understood in a broader sense. Economic and technical benefits are often the main focus, whilst social, institutional and long-term environmental values risk being overlooked. What is regarded as valuable may also differ between different stakeholders.
- The internal organisation of local authorities plays a major role. For this symbiosis to be sustainable in the long term, the work needs to be integrated into the local authority鈥檚 day-to-day operations, with a clear division of responsibilities, coordination and strategic support.
- Interconnected energy systems present both opportunities and vulnerabilities. Greater integration and electrification mean that changes in one part of the system can have consequences for other stakeholders and sectors. Therefore, uncertainty and interdependencies need to be taken into account in planning and decision-making.
The project has also highlighted the importance of social dimensions and inclusion, including how gender and power relations can influence which perspectives and values are given prominence in the development of circular systems.
New tools and frameworks
A key aspect of the project鈥檚 outcomes is that the research has led to the development of several practical tools and frameworks that can be used in practice.
Among other things, the project has developed:
- Impact Assessment Matrix 鈥� to highlight how benefits and negative impacts are distributed amongst different stakeholders.
- Industrial Symbiosis Readiness Level Matrix (ISRLM) 鈥� to assess how far an industrial symbiosis initiative has progressed and to identify the steps required for further development.
- A framework for local government governance 鈥� to analyse how local authorities鈥� internal organisation and various forms of governance affect the potential for developing symbiosis.
- A framework for value creation 鈥� to analyse economic, environmental and social values, as well as interdependencies and uncertainties in symbiotic systems.
Summary of findings
The project鈥檚 overall findings point to a shift in how industrial and urban symbiosis needs to be understood: from a matter of technical resource efficiency to a broader socio-technical transition process.
Success requires not only the right technology, but also organisational capacity, collaboration, long-term governance and the ability to manage complexity and uncertainty.
Read the final report here
