Industrial Symbiosis - A Tool for More Sustainable Regions?
(2005) In IIIEE Dissertations 2005:1.- Abstract
- Today's industrial systems are regarded to have unsustainable characteristics. In order to acquire a more sustainable state, fundamental changes are needed in the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the resource flows associated with such systems. These need to go hand in hand with a more equitable distribution of the benefits and burdens associated with such resource use. The identification and facilitation of the necessary transformations in resource flows is the main subject of Industrial Ecology (IE) research field. As a sub-field of IE, the Industrial Symbiosis (IS) concept intends a sustainability contribution through establishing synergistic relations among economic activities located in a geographic region. These synergistic... (More)
- Today's industrial systems are regarded to have unsustainable characteristics. In order to acquire a more sustainable state, fundamental changes are needed in the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the resource flows associated with such systems. These need to go hand in hand with a more equitable distribution of the benefits and burdens associated with such resource use. The identification and facilitation of the necessary transformations in resource flows is the main subject of Industrial Ecology (IE) research field. As a sub-field of IE, the Industrial Symbiosis (IS) concept intends a sustainability contribution through establishing synergistic relations among economic activities located in a geographic region. These synergistic relations can increase the efficiencies by which different resources are utilised. There is increasing interest in systematically catalysing the development of IS networks as a means of providing a sustainability contribution. This is motivated by the efficiency gains provided by operational IS networks, the low number of such operational cases, and the increased understanding about the factors that determine the development of synergistic relations among regional actors. There are, however, uncertainties regarding how to facilitate the emergence of IS networks as well as the extent of sustainability contribution such networks can provide.
In this research, the issues pertaining to the facilitated development of IS networks in European regions are studied and the effectiveness of different approaches are investigated. Based mainly on the insights gained through the author's involvement in IS programmes in the UK and Sweden, the importance of properly addressing the human related and organisational aspects in IS developments is emphasised. Drawing mostly on empirical findings the influence of policy elements, the regional governance, and organisational history and culture on the IS developments are demonstrated and analysed. The importance of regional capacity building and learning enabled by IS programmes are highlighted and a call is made to properly monitor and communicate progress in these areas.
With regards to the sustainability contribution of IS networks, this research cautions that the dominating overemphasis placed in IS programmes on the revalorisation of production wastes will provide limited sustainability contribution at best. It is argued that a more profound contribution can be achieved, if IS developments are set to serve the objectives of an appropriate regional sustainable development strategy that gives proper consideration to social and environmental issues as well as economic ones, and that fosters systemic changes. A strategy informed by the newly introduced Distributed Economies concept is found to be one that can provide the needed guidance to IS while at the same time benefiting from the synergistic relations it catalyses. Specific recommendations targeting IS practitioners, policy makers, regional governance bodies, and academic community are distilled from research findings with the intention of assisting both the development of IS networks as well as improving their sustainability contributions. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Dagens industriella system är inte långsiktigt hållbara. För detta behövs bland annat fundamentala förändringar av hur samhällets resurser används. Detta gäller den totala volymen som förbrukas men också vilka ämnen som sätts i omlopp i samhället. Därutöver behövs ett mer rättvist utnyttjande av dessa resurser. Industriell ekologi är den vetenskap som studerar de förändringar som behövs i resursflödena och som föreslår vägar att åstadkomma dessa. Industriell symbios är ett område inom industriell ekologi. Som namnet säger söker man skapa samverkan mellan olika ekonomiska aktörer i en bestämd region. Precis som symbios i naturen ska denna samverkan vara till fördel för samtliga aktörer och öka den... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Dagens industriella system är inte långsiktigt hållbara. För detta behövs bland annat fundamentala förändringar av hur samhällets resurser används. Detta gäller den totala volymen som förbrukas men också vilka ämnen som sätts i omlopp i samhället. Därutöver behövs ett mer rättvist utnyttjande av dessa resurser. Industriell ekologi är den vetenskap som studerar de förändringar som behövs i resursflödena och som föreslår vägar att åstadkomma dessa. Industriell symbios är ett område inom industriell ekologi. Som namnet säger söker man skapa samverkan mellan olika ekonomiska aktörer i en bestämd region. Precis som symbios i naturen ska denna samverkan vara till fördel för samtliga aktörer och öka den totala resurseffektiviteten. Det är därför inte förvånansvärt att det finns ett ökande intresse för hur man systematiskt kan skapa sådana system. Intresset stärks av de resultat som hittills presenterats, av det låga antalet beskrivna fall och av ökande förståelse för vilka faktorer som möjliggör synergistiska relationer mellan olika aktörer. Vad som däremot saknas är en god förståelse för hur nätverk som bygger på industriell symbios kan skapas och befrämjas samt hur stort bidrag de kan ge i byggandet av ett hållbart samhälle.
Denna avhandling studerar hur man har försökt att skapa nätverk för industriell symbios i några olika områden i Sverige, Storbritannien och Finland. Författaren har arbetat inom program i Sverige och Storbritannien. Erfarenheterna från dessa program visar att det är personrelaterade och organisatoriska aspekter som har en avgörande betydelse för hur framgångsrika sådana program är. Vikten av att samhället på nationell och regional nivå är med och styr utvecklingen framkommer tydligt liksom hur utvecklingen påverkas av olika organisationskulturer. Forskningen visar klart att det är viktigt att satsa på att bygga regional kompetens samt att ha system för att registrera och kommunicera de framsteg som görs.
Avhandlingen analyserar också det bidrag som nätverk för industriell symbios ger för en hållbar utveckling. Slutsatsen är att om man bara arbetar med återanvändning av produktionsavfall så blir bidraget i bästa fall litet. För att få mer betydande bidrag bör man fokusera på de komponenter som är i linje med en regional hållbarhetsstrategi som beaktar miljömässiga och sociala frågor, såväl som ekonomiska, och som främjar systemförändringar. En strategi som bygger på ett nyligen introducerat begrepp ? distribuerade ekonomier ? har visat sig kunna vägleda program inom industriell symbios i denna riktning. Baserat på erfarenheterna och slutsatserna från forskningen ges rekommendationer för hur personer som arbetar med program och projekt inom industriell symbios kan agera för att befrämja utvecklingen av nätverk och förbättra dessa nätverks bidrag till en hållbar utveckling. Rekommendationer ges även till beslutsfattare på nationell och regional nivå, liksom till forskare. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/545354
- author
- Mirata, Murat LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Dr Wells, Peter, Cardiff University
- organization
- publishing date
- 2005
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Technological sciences, Teknik, regional sustainability, distributed economies, Industrial ecology, Industrial symbiosis
- in
- IIIEE Dissertations
- volume
- 2005:1
- pages
- 245 pages
- publisher
- IIIEE, Lund University
- defense location
- Aulan, IIIEE,Internationella miljöinstitutet, Tegnérsplatsen 4, Lund
- defense date
- 2005-10-07 10:15:00
- external identifiers
-
- other:ISRN-LUTMDN/THME-05/1014-SE
- ISSN
- 1402-3016
- ISBN
- ISBN 91-88902-36-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4ce364b3-7ea8-407b-a538-07f9503a4d89 (old id 545354)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 16:53:13
- date last changed
- 2019-05-21 14:33:39
@phdthesis{4ce364b3-7ea8-407b-a538-07f9503a4d89,
abstract = {{Today's industrial systems are regarded to have unsustainable characteristics. In order to acquire a more sustainable state, fundamental changes are needed in the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the resource flows associated with such systems. These need to go hand in hand with a more equitable distribution of the benefits and burdens associated with such resource use. The identification and facilitation of the necessary transformations in resource flows is the main subject of Industrial Ecology (IE) research field. As a sub-field of IE, the Industrial Symbiosis (IS) concept intends a sustainability contribution through establishing synergistic relations among economic activities located in a geographic region. These synergistic relations can increase the efficiencies by which different resources are utilised. There is increasing interest in systematically catalysing the development of IS networks as a means of providing a sustainability contribution. This is motivated by the efficiency gains provided by operational IS networks, the low number of such operational cases, and the increased understanding about the factors that determine the development of synergistic relations among regional actors. There are, however, uncertainties regarding how to facilitate the emergence of IS networks as well as the extent of sustainability contribution such networks can provide.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
In this research, the issues pertaining to the facilitated development of IS networks in European regions are studied and the effectiveness of different approaches are investigated. Based mainly on the insights gained through the author's involvement in IS programmes in the UK and Sweden, the importance of properly addressing the human related and organisational aspects in IS developments is emphasised. Drawing mostly on empirical findings the influence of policy elements, the regional governance, and organisational history and culture on the IS developments are demonstrated and analysed. The importance of regional capacity building and learning enabled by IS programmes are highlighted and a call is made to properly monitor and communicate progress in these areas.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
With regards to the sustainability contribution of IS networks, this research cautions that the dominating overemphasis placed in IS programmes on the revalorisation of production wastes will provide limited sustainability contribution at best. It is argued that a more profound contribution can be achieved, if IS developments are set to serve the objectives of an appropriate regional sustainable development strategy that gives proper consideration to social and environmental issues as well as economic ones, and that fosters systemic changes. A strategy informed by the newly introduced Distributed Economies concept is found to be one that can provide the needed guidance to IS while at the same time benefiting from the synergistic relations it catalyses. Specific recommendations targeting IS practitioners, policy makers, regional governance bodies, and academic community are distilled from research findings with the intention of assisting both the development of IS networks as well as improving their sustainability contributions.}},
author = {{Mirata, Murat}},
isbn = {{ISBN 91-88902-36-6}},
issn = {{1402-3016}},
keywords = {{Technological sciences; Teknik; regional sustainability; distributed economies; Industrial ecology; Industrial symbiosis}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{IIIEE, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{IIIEE Dissertations}},
title = {{Industrial Symbiosis - A Tool for More Sustainable Regions?}},
volume = {{2005:1}},
year = {{2005}},
}