LOCIMAP Issues White Paper on Industrial Symbiosis

The Hague, Netherlands, January 24, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Industrial symbiosis and its importance to European industrial parks are the focus of the recently released White Paper by EU FP7-funded Low Carbon Industrial Manufacturing Parks Project (LOCIMAP).

The potent term ‘industrial symbiosis’ with its conscious parallel with symbiotic relationships in the natural eco-system has gained widespread recognition as the best practice delivering win-win solutions for business and the environment. It is defined as collaboration between two or more companies where to exploit each other's surplus materials and energy which often go unused.

Requirements for industrial symbiosis
At its core, the paper argues, industrial symbiosis not so much depends on technology and innovation, as it does on a particular business mind-set: leadership and a willingness to explore mutual benefits through collaborative business processes. This way of thinking can be catalysed by company needs, legislation and/or financial instruments. To actually establish a new industrial symbiosis, confidence in and confidentiality of partners are the most significant factors identified by the project, followed by the economic benefits.

Benefits and potential
LOCIMAP analysis shows that extended cross-sector integration can save well over the target 21% of energy use compared to 2005 set by EU and SPIRE for the energy intensive industries. Additional benefits include reduction of CO2 emissions and landfilling, as well as creation of new business and jobs and increased profitability.

Although currently only developed systematically in a few places, industrial symbiosis can be a key factor in the realization of a low carbon economy, prevention of carbon leakage from Europe and the development of a circular economy.

The full White Paper can be downloaded on the LOCIMAP website.