Industrial symbiosis: a growing trend
When we talk about industrial symbiosis, we are referring to a contemporary phenomenon that gives companies the opportunity to share waste, energy, and expertise.
It is one of the major topics gaining increasing traction in the circular economy sector.
From a business network perspective, industrial symbiosis shifts its focus away from district-based models towards more distributed ones, while still addressing the environmental themes tied to short supply chains.
Its success is largely due to the paradigm shift that industrial processes are undergoing.
Companies are increasingly moving away from the linear “Take, Make and Dispose” model — extraction, production, and waste — and embracing the “Cradle to Cradle” (C2C) philosophy.
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Start nowWhat does “industrial symbiosis” mean?
Industrial symbiosis is a form of collaboration between companies operating within the same geographical area, working in a coordinated way to reduce their waste and, consequently, their environmental impact.
The underlying principle is to valorise by-products generated in manufacturing and production processes, transforming them into secondary raw materials for other production chains.
It mirrors the symbiosis found in nature, where living and long-lasting ecosystems are sustained by a constant exchange of matter — a process often described as industrial metabolism.
The Kalundborg industrial district: an in-depth look
One of the most emblematic and widely studied examples of industrial symbiosis is the Kalundborg eco-park. Unlike many other eco-parks, Kalundborg was not designed from the outset to become an industrial district.
Its transformation was, in fact, organic — driven not by specific urban planning decisions, but by the natural evolution of relationships between businesses.
A project born over 50 years ago
From the 1960s onward, the first network of material and energy exchanges developed in this area. Initially, the network was held together by the willingness of the business owners themselves, who already at that time viewed industrial symbiosis as a core principle of their operations.
The early exchanges focused on water resource management; over time, as connections strengthened, material and energy resource exchanges began to take shape.
Interestingly, it was only in 1989 that this collaborative way of working was formally classified as “industrial symbiosis”.
The main reason behind this delayed recognition lies in the philosophy of the participants themselves, who operated under the motto: “Working together is just smart business”.
How it works and its key benefits
Kalundborg operates through an extensive network of physical connections that facilitates the exchange of production waste — such as wastewater — and the sharing of thermal and energy resources.
Within this cluster of companies, you will find the world’s largest producer of insulin (Novo Nordisk), the world’s largest enzyme producer (Novozymes), the largest wastewater treatment facility in northern Europe, the largest power plant in Denmark, and the largest oil refinery in the Baltic region.
These industrial giants work together continuously to ensure the effectiveness of the symbiosis systems within Kalundborg.
This dense network allows the participating companies to gain several significant advantages:
- the integration of by-products into new value streams;
- a reduction in resource consumption, including water, coal, oil, gypsum, fertilisers, and more;
- improved use of energy resources, including the use of gas waste in energy production;
- lower operational costs, as investing in waste disposal is no longer necessary.
The vision of the Danish industrial district
The vision of Kalundborg Symbiosis is to become the world’s leading industrial symbiosis, built on a circular approach to production. This ambition is steadily becoming a reality, thanks to local partnerships in which players supply, share, and reuse resources.
Strategic objectives
Kalundborg has set three strategic objectives to realise its vision:
- full use of resources — including water flows, energy, and materials — all integrated into the symbiosis;
- strengthening partnerships by developing a local symbiotic mindset, which will enable the district to engage and inspire institutions such as universities and external visitors through its outreach activities;
- spreading the symbiotic mindset by inspiring third parties to join the project and supporting communication and knowledge-sharing on industrial symbiosis through the Symbiosis Center Denmark.
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Start nowThe three pillars of Kalundborg
The three pillars of Kalundborg’s industrial symbiosis are: an experimental philosophy grounded in shared values; the acceleration of the green transition through partnerships; and the monitoring of economic and environmental impact.
An experimental philosophy grounded in shared values
Kalundborg’s symbiosis has evolved organically, through a continuous search for better ways of doing business. This shared approach has given rise to several startup projects within the Kalundborg system.
Numerous innovative projects have been scaled up successfully, supported by a collaborative and open atmosphere built on core values such as trust, confidentiality, openness, and equality.
These principles have strengthened and renewed ties between partners, while simultaneously promoting the symbiotic mindset.
Green transition through partnerships
As already noted, the foundation of industrial symbiosis is the creation of strong and lasting partnerships — involving both public and private entities, such as the Quinoa Refining Denmark gas pipeline or the dense network of steam pipes connecting the district heating plant and Ørsted’s Asnæs Power Station.
Today, Kalundborg operates 25 distinct resource flows (water, energy, and materials) managed by six main organisations: three private and three public.
Cooperation between companies has become second nature in Kalundborg, reinforced above all by the awareness that every decision made by one partner has an impact on the facilities of the others.
To foster a sense of community among the players involved, the “Kalundborg Symbiosis” association was formally established in 2011, serving as the network’s governing board.
The association is also the primary promoter of new symbiotic projects to be implemented within the industrial district.
Economic and environmental impact
To assess the impact of its network of collaborations, Kalundborg Symbiosis carried out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on its processes to quantify their environmental footprint.
Considering the flows active since 2015, Kalundborg has saved approximately €24 million, while the socioeconomic benefit amounts to €14 million.
This means that companies can leverage the competitive advantage granted by interconnectivity, while the public sector saves money by reducing investment in waste management.
Some of the best industrial eco-parks in the world
Beyond Kalundborg, there are several other interesting case studies of industrial districts and eco-parks around the world worth mentioning.
Taiga Nova Eco Industrial Park
The Taiganova Eco Industrial Park (EIP) is an industrial district located in Fort McMurray, Alberta (Canada). Covering approximately 145 acres, it is notably efficient both in terms of infrastructure and sustainable design approach — resulting in a higher quality of industrial development.
CleanTech Park, Singapore
CleanTech Park is an eco-business park in Singapore, the first of its kind built in the city-state. The 50-hectare site is adjacent to Nanyang Technological University. As well as focusing on the design and development of green solutions, the park was planned by JTC Corporation with the aim of creating green buildings and structures.
Today, CleanTech Park encompasses three further industrial clusters:
- CleanTech One;
- CleanTech Two;
- Launchpad JID.
NISP – National Industrial Symbiosis Programme
The National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) is a programme launched in 2005 in the United Kingdom. It is the first industrial symbiosis initiative proposed at a national scale. Through a broad network of members, NISP identifies the technological and commercial opportunities for exchanging resources, materials, energy, and water.
The network is made up of 12 regional working groups covering the entire national territory.
Shawnigan Lake ECO-Industrial Park
The Shawnigan Lake ECO-Industrial Park (SEIP) is taking a stewardship approach to the site and its natural land. The area was once the scene of large-scale deforestation and the intensive extraction of raw materials such as gravel.
Today, a site redevelopment plan is underway, based on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard.
Burnside Park, Nova Scotia
One of the best-known eco-park examples is Burnside Park, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With the support of the Eco-Efficiency Center at Dalhousie University, 1,500 companies have improved their environmental performance through profitable partnerships.
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Caterina Bonafede
Sfridoo Staff
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