Industrial symbiosis: benefits, barriers, risks and costs
Summary of the latest evidence and research about industrial symbiosis, the practice of using the waste of one industrial process as the input for another.
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DESNZ commissioned Europe Economics to undertake research to identify and assess the barriers, drivers, risks, costs, and benefits of industrial symbiosis (IS) – both in general and within the UK – aiming to build the evidence base on value of IS to the UK and inform the design of effective strategies to promote it.
The study looked into cement/ concrete, glass, mining, chemicals, food and drink, and agriculture sectors as deep-dive case studies, undertaking general and sector-specific literature reviews, supplemented by interviews and focus groups.
The research covered a number of qualitative aspects relating to IS as well as a quantitative assessment of potential and costs in the form of case studies. Different forms of IS were identified such as:
- ad-hoc exchanges
- established supply chains
- sector-wide process transformations
- by-product marketing
High-importance drivers of IS identified include financial drivers, regulatory factors and geographical proximity. High-importance barriers include lack of knowledge around IS and general IS set-up and capital costs. The study also identified risks from increased IS such as potential fluctuations in demand or supply for by-products. General costs of IS were difficult to estimate but case studies with specific data were explored.