Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Industrial symbiosis (IS) involves collaboration among businesses to utilize each other’s wastes or byproducts, thereby reducing environmental impact and improving economic efficiency. Despite the recognition of IS’s environmental benefits, a structured understanding of its full business value is often lacking. The business value framework developed for IS identifies four key domains of benefits and sacrifices: cost implications, revenue growth and diversification, risk management and reduction, and the intangible benefits of soft values. Cost savings are evident in reduced procurement and logistics expenses through the use of secondary materials, but new cost challenges can arise from required infrastructure investments and compliance costs. Revenue opportunities emerge from selling byproducts and improved marketability due to eco-conscious practices, with regulatory incentives also providing financial attractiveness. IS strategies can reduce supply chain and market risks, although they may introduce dependencies and require quality control investments. Soft values encompass enhanced innovation, stakeholder relationships, brand reputation, and employee engagement. As global movements towards sustainability and circular economies advance, IS is gaining relevance, with technological and policy developments further facilitating its adoption. For businesses, taking a strategic approach that includes identifying synergy opportunities, forming partnerships, investing in technology, navigating regulatory landscapes, and communicating value propositions is essential for harnessing the competitive advantages offered by IS.
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Why do cities struggle to transition to a Circular Economy? — Information
The paper discusses the challenges cities face in transitioning to a circular economy, emphasizing the decline in global circularity and the need for public procurement to drive the change. It highlights the complexity of accessing and applying circular strategies and proposes innovation procurement with specialized AI as a solution.
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The smart city puzzle: cities, platforms and service provider
Working in smart city projects requires to bring together different players in this very diverse eco-system, from IT to product suppliers, service providers, finance, social innovators and of course the cities with their various departments. A good way to start is looking at top notch smart city projects as well as knowledge, matchmaking and IT platforms.
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Unlocking the Value of Industrial Symbiosis: A Comprehensive Guide to Pricing and Business Value
The article outlines approaches and a framework for pricing in industrial symbiosis, stressing fair and sustainable mechanisms, considering costs, earnings, risks, and value beyond economics for successful circular economies.
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Unlocking the Power of Industrial Symbiosis: How Data Exchange Fuels Collaboration and Innovation
The CORALIS project examines data exchange in industrial symbiosis networks, identifying lack of standardization and proposing a structured communication framework to improve trust, efficiency, and innovation for sustainable industrial practices.
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Unlocking the Potential of Industrial Symbiosis: Strategies for Sustainable Project Development
The CORALIS guidelines address financing and risk mitigation for Industrial Symbiosis (IS) projects, offering a structured process to enhance stakeholder relationships, align with regulatory frameworks, and improve project implementation for sustainable industrial operations.
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Digital Matchmaking for Industrial Sustainability: How Knowledge Platforms Enable Circular Economy
A discussion of the challenge of managing information for industrial symbiosis, focusing on digital tools developed for matchmaking and economic assessment. It underlines the importance of integrating technology with human relationships and adapting to regulatory changes that promote data standardization and transparency.
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Demystifying Industrial Symbiosis: A Comprehensive Guide to Opportunity Identification
Industrial symbiosis (IS) optimizes resource use and minimizes waste by exchanging resources among industries. European initiatives invest in IS methodologies to enhance market adoption but face challenges like complexity and data availability. The identification process involves mapping, screening, and matchmaking, requiring collaboration and long-term viability assessments.
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Biomass Gasification: A Key to Decarbonizing Energy-Intensive Industries
The EU project CORALIS explores biomass gasification's techno-economic feasibility for decarbonizing energy-intensive industries, highlighting its potential with syngas and biochar production as fossil fuel alternatives. Larger-scale operations demonstrate better economic returns, with significant positive impacts on industrial decarbonization efforts.
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How new technology can allow factories without chimneys
Professor Hussam Jouhara discusses the development of the Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE), designed to reduce industrial energy consumption and emissions by recovering waste heat and water. Supported by the EU's Horizon 2020, HPCE overcomes challenges such as exhaust stream variability and corrosive condensates, aiming to enhance efficiency and environmental sustainability in industries, especially in the chemical sector, by promoting energy and material recovery.
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