Facility-Scale Industrial Symbiosis: Integrating Small-Scale Production and the Circular Economy

Industrial Symbiosis (IS), as a subfield of Industrial Ecology, is concerned with cooperation among industrial firms in sharing resources, particularly by-products, such that the waste of one firm becomes the input of another. This “closed-loop” pattern also lies at the heart of the concept of Circular Economy. Both concepts are typically considered at scales ranging from industrial parks to global supply chains, but rarely at the facility scale. Industrial Symbiosis at the facility-scale has the potential to build local circular economies. Moreover, both concepts have requirements and implications that reach beyond the tracking and coordination of material flows. These additional requirements include the cultivation of new business models and political supports, as well as engagement of local communities and cultures. Thus, both industrial symbiosis and the circular economy face the challenge of bridging the gap between the technical and socio-cultural aspects of industrial development, and adapting to the facility scale. I address this challenge by proposing a framework for the development of Facility-scale Industrial Symbiosis (Facility-IS). Facility-IS is industrial symbiosis among firms small enough to be co-located at the same facility, but significant enough to be producing a continuous stream of shareable by-products. The metrics for planning, facilitating and growing Facility-IS are outlined, as well as three approaches to implement such projects. This research forms a Facility-IS framework rooted in existing best practices for tracking business sustainability factors and assessing industrial symbiosis viability.