CORALIS Deliverable 9.6 “Inventory of best practices from the CORALIS demonstrators” by our project partner RISE, outlines several key learnings from CORALIS, in areas which are crucial to consider when developing sustainable and effective industrial symbiosis ventures:
- Managerial procedures and trust-building practices
Managerial procedures and trust-building practices are fundamental to align stakeholders and create a foundation for a lasting industrial symbiosis. Small, collaborative networks with non-competing partners are particularly effective for nurturing trust and openness in the early stages of symbiosis development. Clear communication is crucial; transparency around roles, responsibilities, and shared goals allows for continuous dialogue that bridges cultural gaps and unites stakeholders with diverse priorities. A shared vision, coupled with formal agreements provide stability and guide decision-making as projects evolve, while aligning symbiosis initiatives with organizational goals and business strategies can secure top management support and foster a culture of innovation. A designated facilitator can play an important role in coordinating activities and aligning the goals of diverse actors, particularly when initiatives involve multiple stakeholders. Local municipalities and regional authorities can also play a key enabling role by assuring the initiatives and by providing help in the process of obtaining necessary permits and to get supporting infrastructure in place. Moreover, a close collaboration between a symbiosis network and a municipality seems to enhance the local value perceived by the symbiosis establishment, as well as its contribution to social sustainable development.
- Task force collaboration process
Achieving something new sometimes requires working in new ways, and a case-specific learning from the Swedish Lighthouse is the ‘task force process’, a practical approach where a dedicated task force of public and private sector representatives aligns stakeholders in working groups focused on a specific topic related to the symbiosis development. This way of working has enhanced the local engagement for the industrial symbiosis establishment and fostered a collaborative environment for addressing complex challenges. The task force approach has been an effective way to bridge gaps between different stakeholder groups and contributed to a better mutual understanding of different perspectives, opinions and needs, leading to faster progress overall of the symbiosis and the local development in the municipality.
- Supporting conditions for industrial symbiosis development
At the early stages of exploring partnerships and evaluating resource exchanges for industrial symbiosis, financial support can be a significant enabler, especially for new and small businesses. When approaching investors, symbiosis proponents should clearly outline each stakeholder’s role, ownership, business case and assumed risks in order to clarify the concept of industrial symbiosis as it not always well known. Navigating support systems successfully often requires a nuanced understanding of the business support ecosystem and close collaboration with authorities, with policies like green bonds and evolving sustainability mandates providing alternative financing options. According to CORALIS findings, legislation could also further support the development of industrial symbiosis, with standard resource classifications of waste vs. by-products across Europe being an important contribution to creating clearer pathways for innovative symbiosis models.
- Developing resilient business models
For industrial symbiosis initiatives, the business model often centres around enhanced usage of existing resources such as energy or materials, enabled through either novel technical solutions, new industrial connections and collaborations, or innovations in recovery- or recycling processes. Key aspects that affect the viability of an industrial symbiosis business model are naturally the price of the residual resource, the investments needed to valorise the residual resource, how/if it affects the product, but also the risk- and reward profile for all the actors involved in the symbiosis. Developing a successful business model for an industrial symbiosis often require joint efforts from the involved actors to jointly strive towards creating win-win situations for all involved, as well as avoiding posing risks to any actor’s core business due to the resource exchange.
- Risk perception and management
CORALIS emphasizes the importance of gathering input from stakeholders with diverse competences, since different stakeholders contribute with different perspectives to risk assessments. A transparent, continuous dialogue helps everyone understand and manage potential issues as they arise. Gathering input from stakeholders with technical expertise can be critical for addressing complex technical and process challenges that a single facilitator might not fully foresee. Some financiers tend to see industrial symbiosis projects as more complex, with difficulties in comprehending organizational structures, ownerships and responsibilities etc. Thus, at first glance, and industrial symbiosis project might be perceived as a higher risk project than standard industry investments, particularly if they involve unproven or new business models. For example, some investors seem to prefer to fund projects that have already shown success with similar initiatives, based on i.e. a similar technology, resource exchange or business model. Demonstrating a successful pilot project reassures financiers about the project’s viability and helps attract additional financing, which can be an important lever to scale an industrial symbiosis concept.
Tailoring communication to different audiences, from investors to local authorities, can also make industrial symbiosis as a concept more comprehensible. The CORALIS project has found that simplifying complex aspects of the initiative can help attract funding, especially when applying for specific grants that cater to certain types of businesses but may ultimately benefit the whole symbiosis network.
The lessons learnt from the CORALIS lighthouses and follower sites (Basauri, Linz, Izmit) show the importance of adaptability, shared vision, and robust support systems in scaling up industrial symbiosis. In turn, industrial symbiosis contributes to the broader goals of the European Green Deal by promoting inter-sectoral collaboration and fostering sustainable, cross-organizational value creation. By continuing to implement, learn and refine its identified best practices, CORALIS hopes to inspire more industries to embark on their symbiotic journeys, ultimately contributing to a more resource-efficient and sustainable future.
For more details, read the full report here.
