Circular EconomyDigital Matchmaking for Industrial Sustainability: How Knowledge Platforms Enable Circular Economy
Summary
Industrial symbiosis is hindered by information management challenges rather than technological constraints. The CORALIS webinar highlighted the necessity for effective knowledge management to initiate and sustain industrial symbiotic relationships. Despite 32 digital tools developed since 2016, their effectiveness in real-world applications is uncertain. The Sharebox project created intelligent recommender systems to suggest resource-waste matches between companies with a maximum accuracy of 33%, limited by data scarcity, privacy concerns, and inconsistent waste classification. Economic viability also requires consideration of transportation, treatment, and transaction expenses.
From an industry perspective, reliance on personal networks, such as in Greece, poses risks and limits the scope of partnerships. Digital platforms are proposed to augment human relationships, not replace them. The CORALIS project emphasizes a user-centric approach with matching mechanisms, community forums, and knowledge repositories, seeking integration with existing business systems.
Regulatory advancements, such as the forthcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), are expected to foster conditions conducive to digital knowledge platforms by mandating detailed, digitally tagged sustainability reports.
The success of such platforms will likely depend on trust-building, user-friendly interfaces, standardized data formats, consideration of transport costs, and a balance between automation and personal interaction. Future symbioses may combine technology to form initial connections with human efforts to maintain them, accelerated by policy-driven data transparency and standardization.
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Digital Matchmaking for Industrial Sustainability: How Knowledge Platforms Enable Circular Economy
The Information Challenge in Industrial Symbiosis
The fundamental obstacle to widespread industrial symbiosis isn't technological feasibility but information management. As emphasized by Murat Mirata from BL Shipping University during the CORALIS webinar, effective knowledge management is essential throughout the entire symbiotic relationship lifecycle—from identifying opportunities to maintaining long-term partnerships.
Since 2016, at least 32 digital tools have been developed to address this challenge, often with public funding support. However, a critical question remains: How effective are these platforms in driving real-world industrial symbiosis?
Digital Tools for Matchmaking and Assessment
Smart Recommender Systems
Yu-eun De Mazan (University of Twente) presented findings from the Sharebox project (2015-2020), which developed an IT platform to facilitate industrial symbiosis. The project created intelligent recommender systems—similar to those used by Netflix or YouTube—that employed:
- Association rule mining
- Hierarchical agglomerative clustering
- Input-output matching algorithms
- Case-based reasoning
These systems aimed to suggest potential waste-resource matches between companies. However, they achieved a maximum accuracy of only 33%, primarily due to:
- Limited data availability
- Company reluctance to share waste information
- Lack of standardized waste classification systems
Economic Assessment Tools
Successfully identifying potential matches is only the first step. Companies must then evaluate economic viability, considering not just direct savings but also what De Mazan called the "three Ts":
- Transportation costs
- Treatment requirements
- Transaction expenses
To address these complexities, Sharebox developed the "fair cost and benefit sharing Tool" (COSTES), which uses game theory and agent-based modeling to demonstrate the collective economic advantages of collaboration over competition.
Industry Perspective: Balancing Technology and Human Relationships
Nikos Kufodontis (Athenian Brewery) offered valuable insights from the business side, noting that while industrial symbiosis already occurs in Greece, it typically relies on individual connections rather than systematic approaches. This dependence on personal networks:
- Creates continuity risks when key individuals leave
- Limits potential partnerships to existing connections
- Excludes organizations lacking internal networking capacity
Kufodontis advocated for digital platforms to supplement, not replace, the human element in industrial symbiosis. He envisioned a "Tinder for Industry" concept—a user-friendly platform with comprehensive data streams and automated matching algorithms that could identify collaboration opportunities based on waste outputs and resource needs.
Building Comprehensive Digital Infrastructure
Stella Yali and Haralabos Manis from ICCS presented their work on developing information and knowledge management tools within the CORALIS project. Their user-centric approach focused on three core modules:
- Matchmaking mechanism to identify compatible waste-resource pairs
- Community forum for networking and communication
- Knowledge repository documenting successful and unsuccessful cases
Their framework evaluated potential synergies based on technical compatibility, regulatory compliance, and environmental impact. Importantly, they emphasized integrating these functionalities into companies' existing business systems rather than creating standalone platforms.
Regulatory Drivers and Data Standardization
Regulatory developments are creating favorable conditions for digital knowledge platforms. Stella Yali highlighted that many companies already share environmental data through:
- Digital waste registries
- Pollutant release information systems
- Greenhouse gas emissions reporting
The upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will significantly expand this trend, requiring 50,000 European companies to produce detailed sustainability reports based on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The resource use and circular economy standard (ESRS E5) will mandate digitally tagged, interoperable data on resource flows and waste generation—creating a rich foundation for identifying symbiotic opportunities.
Key Success Factors for Digital Platforms
Based on the expert insights, several factors emerge as critical for effective digital knowledge platforms:
- Trust-building mechanisms to encourage data sharing
- User-friendly interfaces integrated into existing business processes
- Standardized data ontologies for waste classification
- Proximity considerations to reduce transportation costs
- Balance between automation and human relationships
The Path Forward: Digital-Human Symbiosis
The experience from mature industrial symbiosis networks like Kalundborg, Denmark, suggests that while initial partnerships can be built on personal communication and trust, digital tools become increasingly necessary as networks expand. The future of industrial symbiosis likely depends on a symbiotic relationship between digital platforms and human interaction—where technology provides the initial connections, and people build the lasting collaborations necessary for a circular economy.
As regulations drive greater transparency and data standardization, the potential for digital platforms to accelerate industrial symbiosis will only increase. For businesses seeking competitive advantage while advancing sustainability goals, these platforms represent an important opportunity to transform waste challenges into valuable resources.
References
- CORALIS EU Project. (2023). "CORALIS learnings webinar #3: Digital knowledge platforms for industrial symbiosis (pt1)." YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/Q--C7b7eEAw?si=w_rgGSUnzk294hJj
- Mirata, M. (2023). "The Role of Information Management in Industrial Symbiosis." Presentation at CORALIS learnings webinar #3, BL Shipping University.
- De Mazan, Y. (2023). "Smart Recommender Systems for Industrial Symbiosis." Presentation at CORALIS learnings webinar #3, University of Twente.
- Enitan, I. (2023). "Digital Platforms for the Construction Industry." Presentation at CORALIS learnings webinar #3, University of Twente.
- Kufodontis, N. (2023). "Industry Perspective on Digital Knowledge Platforms." Presentation at CORALIS learnings webinar #3, Athenian Brewery.
- Yali, S. and Manis, H. (2023). "Information and Knowledge Management Tools for Industrial Symbiosis." Presentation at CORALIS learnings webinar #3, ICCS.
- European Commission. (2022). "Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)." Official Journal of the European Union.
- European Financial Reporting Advisory Group. (2023). "European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) E5: Resource Use and Circular Economy."
