EEIP has been awarded the CircLean European industrial symbiosis label "CHAMPION"

EEIP has been awarded the CircLean European industrial symbiosis label "CHAMPION"

In its Circular Economy Action Plan and Waste Framework Directive, the European Union has assigned a prominent role for industrial symbiosis (IS). This concept describes ‘the use by one company or sector of underutilised resources broadly defined (including waste, by-products, residues, energy, water, logistics, capacity, expertise, equipment and materials) from another, with the result of keeping resources in productive use for longer’.

While the reuse of materials through industrial symbiosis can have economic, environmental, and social benefits, there are still challenges to its uptake in Europe.

CircLean will evidence the impacts of industrial symbiosis in the EU. It will do so by increasing the availability and quality of information available, especially when it comes to the impacts and benefits of IS in the EU. To do so, the project will set up a network of industries, public authorities, and industry associations to reflect on:

• reporting methodology (creating and piloting a common reporting methodology to measure and report on impacts of industrial symbiosis transactions)
• online tools (developing an online module for assessment, matchmaking and evidence gathering to support industrial symbiosis transactions)
• CircLean label (establishing the common reporting methodology as a voluntary protocol and launching a CircLean label to accredit complying members)

CircLean label

CircLean developed a specific European industrial symbiosis label to certify that organisations and businesses are committed to be compliant with the CircLean monitoring and reporting approach for industrial symbiosis transactions.

To date, there is a lack of neutral third-party aknowledgement and visibility of industrial symbiosis transaction in the EU. This affects the credibility and transparency of the impacts reported from industrial symbiosis activities across Europe.

That is why CircLean has worked on a European industrial symbiosis label. It will be awarded in recognition of engagement in industrial symbiosis and of the fact that all transactions are reported accurately and truthfully, based on the CircLean reporting methodology co-designed by the Members of the Network and approved by the European Commission. 

Organisations and companies that comply with the CircLean process will be eligible for the certification. It will help compliant organisations and businesses to communicate their sustainability efforts. The attribution of the label aims to provide a signal to industrial symbiosis counterparties that the labelholder complies with a transparent methododology in order to ensure they are trustworthy partners to other operators.

CORALIS

The project CORALIS is the most prominent activity of EEIP in the area of industrial symbiosis while we are also deeply engaged in even broader circular economy related projects, such as

• Retrofeed (use of variable, bio-based, circular feedstock in process industry)
• NEW - Redol (solid urban waste for circular products production and the establishment of successful Industrial-Urban Simbiosis interactions and hubs for circularity at local level)
• NEW - CircularPSP (green digital public service and data platform to plan, procure and implement innovative CE-solutions across Europe)

While acting as a global information network serving 150.000 professionals worldwide, our project office is joining forces with project consortiums across the entire energy transition landscape. To learn more about our latest activities, please contact Claire Chretien who is heading EEIP project office.