Industrial-Urban Symbiosis as a Tool for Sustainable Development
Industrial-urban symbiosis is an essential component of a sustainable energy and economic system. It involves a model of collaboration between businesses, communities, and municipalities in which resources, waste, or by-products of one entity become valuable inputs for another. For example, in the past, factories in post-socialist countries used waste heat from industrial processes for centralized heating of residential buildings. Such symbiosis was made possible by centralized management. However, the collapse of this system, war, and infrastructure degradation led to the decline of such models.
Today, in the context of environmental challenges and the need for sustainable development, it is necessary to revive and modernize industrial-urban symbiosis — now based on new principles: digitalization, decentralization, and partnerships between businesses, local communities, and municipal authorities. Industrial parks, clusters, and special coordination structures can play a key role, being capable of identifying opportunities for cooperation between companies, building trust, and demonstrating the economic and environmental feasibility of joint solutions.
What is Industrial Symbiosis?
It is a practical model of cooperation where:
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resources, by-products, or waste from one company become raw materials for another;
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environmental pressure and dependence on virgin materials are reduced;
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value is created within the local economy.
This is one of the key tools of the circular economy, which contrasts with the traditional linear model of “take – make – dispose.” The circular economy aims to keep materials in use for as long as possible, reusing them in new production cycles.
Concrete Examples:
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Galvanization Cluster (EU): Hundreds of companies established a centralized wastewater treatment station, not only to comply with environmental regulations but also due to the high value of recoverable metals.
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Vietnam: A fertilizer manufacturer collects the by-product — liquefied CO₂ — for reuse in the food industry.
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Nestlé (Africa): The company captures CO₂ from steam boilers and reuses it for producing water and soda, cutting its carbon footprint by 22 times and saving 70,000 m³ of water annually.
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UK (ECO₂ pilot): A £2 million investment into CO₂ capture technology. Although only 1% is currently captured, the potential is significant.
Tools to Facilitate Symbiosis (available in 6 languages):
Please refer to the tables to find the respective language versions of the EIP tools and downloads. The guide is available here:
🔗 https://geipp-ukraine.org/trening-shhodo-perevag-eip-ta-rechv-dlya-regionalnih-klasteriv/
Modern Digital Platforms Enable:
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matching available waste with business needs;
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identifying material flows between companies;
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discovering by-products that can be reused;
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building business cases and making data-driven decisions.
One such platform includes four key features:
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usage instructions;
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search by products or waste;
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search by companies or sectors;
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practical examples and links.
The platform allows action from two directions: either from a material you already have, or from a need that must be met.
Ukrainian Context:
In Ukraine, the role of local self-government has significantly increased. Local authorities are responsible for:
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implementing EU-integrated environmental requirements (e.g., treatment facilities, circularity, water supply);
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developing ecological infrastructure (e.g., rainwater harvesting, decentralized purification systems);
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project development, investment attraction, and cross-sector partnerships.
Example: In the city of Bila Tserkva, a rainwater harvesting system has been implemented as part of green infrastructure. This initiative aims to reduce the load on the stormwater system and prevent flooding during heavy rainfall. Specifically, if water levels in the Ros and Protoka rivers exceed 3 meters, areas up to 5 km² — home to over 300 residential buildings and up to 1,800 residents — could be flooded.
At the Same Time:
Business motivation for adopting environmental solutions should not rely solely on regulatory requirements but also on:
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understanding economic benefits,
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gaining competitive advantages,
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achieving higher social status.
Feedback from stakeholders is equally important to identify barriers (organizational, regulatory, technical) that prevent full implementation of industrial symbiosis.
Conclusion:
Industrial-urban symbiosis is not a utopia of the past but a realistic tool for sustainable development, adaptable to modern contexts. It relies on partnership, transparency, digital tools, and the readiness of business and communities to jointly create efficient, environmentally responsible production links.
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