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Industrial Symbiosis: Unlocking Synergies to Achieve Business Advantages and Resource Efficiency

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Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Eco-industrial network; Industrial synergy; Networked eco-industrial system

Definition

Industrial symbiosis refers to nontraditional cooperation between industrial entities to establish mutually beneficial relationships between participants and to achieve more efficient use of resources in the network. This typically encompasses value-added valorization of material streams that are regarded as waste by the entity where they occur, but other forms of optimized exchange or collaborative management of materials and energy are also common. Industrial symbiosis unlocks synergies between participants, which creates both economic advantages and environmental benefits.

Introduction

Industrial symbiosis has become a prominent topic in research and policymaking during the last 20 years. Its widespread implementation holds the potential to make a significant contribution to decoupling environmental degradation from economic growth because it promotes economic prosperity and at the same...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Sigrid Kusch-Brandt

Authors
  1. Sigrid Kusch-Brandt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sigrid Kusch-Brandt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience & Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Amanda Lange Salvia

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil

    Luciana Londero Brandli

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Kusch-Brandt, S. (2020). Industrial Symbiosis: Unlocking Synergies to Achieve Business Advantages and Resource Efficiency. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71059-4_110-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71059-4_110-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71059-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71059-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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