Articles
Harnessing Industrial Symbiosis For Sustainable Growth and Circular Economies
The report from the EU project CORALIS discusses the concept of industrial symbiosis (IS) as a crucial element of the circular economy, aiming to maximize resource efficiency and minimize waste by enabling the exchange of materials, energy, water, and by-products among industries. It spotlights the success of initiatives like the Kalundborg Eco-Industrial Park and acknowledges the role of digitalization and policy support in facilitating IS. Despite its potential in reducing emissions, fostering competitiveness, and generating jobs, IS faces hurdles such as financial risks, regulatory complexities, and technological uncertainties, along with a lack of standardized frameworks. Innovations in digital platforms, renewable energy integration, policy incentives, and the development of industrial clusters are highlighted as drivers for IS. To overcome barriers and enhance implementation, the report suggests addressing economic, regulatory, and technological challenges, alongside increasing awareness and coordination efforts. Looking forward, IS's expansion is tied to trends in circular business models, AI integration, cross-sector collaboration, and enhanced policy support. The report also emphasizes potential career opportunities for students and professionals in sustainability and provides avenues for engagement such as educational programs, professional networks, internships, and advocacy.
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Industrial Symbiosis: A Pathway to Sustainable Industry through CORALIS
The CORALIS project demonstrates how industrial symbiosis (IS) facilitates decarbonization by enabling cross-industry collaboration, leading to resource optimization and sustainability enhancement across European demonstrators. Key findings highlight the importance of managerial frameworks, trust, stakeholder engagement, and local authority support in successful IS implementation.
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Industrial Symbiosis: A Transformative Approach for Sustainable Industry
The CORALIS report on industrial symbiosis (IS) highlights its benefits, like reducing CO2 emissions and waste through cross-sector collaboration. Successful cases and digital platforms facilitate IS, but adoption challenges persist. Future IS policies could further sustainability and create jobs in new industries.
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Building Lasting Symbiotic Relationships: Business Agreements in Industrial Symbiosis
The article addresses the importance of structured business agreements in industrial symbiosis (IS), categorizing IS relationships by engagement level and outlining key considerations for agreements including ownership, responsibilities, liabilities, risk management, governance, contractual terms, and adaptability based on the CORALIS project.
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Connecting the dots of Energy Efficiency Directive with sustainable finance reporting. The full potential unlocked.
The European Commission issued guidelines to aid EU member states in adopting the Energy Efficiency Directive by October 2025. Recommendation 2024/2002 promotes an integrated approach to energy audits, management systems, and sustainability reporting, supporting compliance with broader EU directives.
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Top Circular Economy Trends & Innovations
This study explores the circular economy's waste-to-resource concept and analyzes startups impacting it. Key trends include waste upcycling, IoT-optimized waste management, AI-powered sorting, and blockchain for traceability. Circular economy startups are prominent in Western Europe, with growing activity in the US and Asia, particularly China and India.
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Digital Transformation in Industrial Energy Efficiency: Insights for European Companies
European industries use digital tools for energy efficiency, as per a report with nine case studies, highlighting big data, AI for maintenance, demand response programs, collaboration importance, addressing high costs, and skill gaps, offering guidance for integrating technologies and fostering innovation for sustainability.
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The Intersection of Energy and AI: Insights from the IEA Global Conference
The IEA's Global Conference on Energy and AI highlighted the reciprocal relationship between both fields, focusing on AI's role in optimizing energy use and enhancing renewable energy adoption, while also acknowledging AI's growing energy demands. Key discussions addressed electricity consumption by data centers, advancements in battery tech, smart grid optimization, predictive capabilities for natural disasters, and international perspectives from companies and governments on AI-driven energy strategies. The IEA stressed its commitment to providing actionable data and fostering stakeholder dialogue to align AI with energy system realities, and announced a comprehensive energy-AI report for 2025.
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Electrifying Industry: The Path to Decarbonizing Process Heat
The Agora Industry study outlines direct electrification's potential to fulfill 90% of industry's non-electrified energy demands in Europe by 2035, highlighting a key opportunity for CO2 reduction and progress towards EU climate targets.
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Boosting the Hydrogen Revolution: The Role of a European Hydrogen Bank
The EU aims to produce and import 20 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 to achieve climate targets. The European Hydrogen Bank, integral to REPowerEU, supports this via subsidies and market integration. Investments in hydrogen technologies foster innovation, job creation, and international cooperation, enhancing energy security and global leadership in clean energy transitions.
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