Challenge(s)
How can the port city ecosystem collaborate and find synergies to establish a sustainable circular economy?
Good practice
Pool resources through the principles of industrial ecology
The fight against climate change requires innovative solutions to improve the energy performance of ports and cities. Industrial ecology is a development approach based on cooperation between social and economic stakeholders with pooled resources. This approach is based on the principles of sustainable development, which aim to combat pollution and minimise the use of resources and energy. It is an approach particularly suited to port territories, where these new synergies can be created between local businesses and the city. This approach has been implemented for over 50 years in Kalundborg, where the Symbiosis project has been a model of the circular economy.
This good practice also includes objective 2.1 (Promoting dialogue and cooperation between socio-economic stakeholders to identify potential synergies and encourage better management of natural resources) of the AIVP's 2030 Agenda.
Case study
The Kalundborg Symbiosis is a collaboration between companies to share surplus energy, water, and materials circularly. Although the idea was initially proposed in 1961, active waste material exchange between the two companies started in 1972. The idea was to connect pipes to trade gas excess, and the companies themselves took the initiative to develop the network early on. The proximity of several industries led to the installation of water and energy exchange pipes. One factor that enabled the network’s development was that the companies were not competitors, which helped build mutual trust. Therefore, trust became the spine of the network’s growth.
To achieve its vision of being the world’s leader in “industrial symbiosis” with a circular approach to production, the initiative works with three goals: “Renew” by strengthening partnerships and setting the symbiosis mindset locally; “Connect” by making use of full resources; and “Promote” to inspire others to be part of a symbiosis. On their website, it is possible to find tools to build and develop symbiosis partnerships. Additionally, Kalundborg Symbiosis is actively participating in other national and international cooperation projects to spread the circular approach. One of them is being part of “Symbiosis Network Denmark”, which aims to create a national symbiotic ecosystem. Another is “GreenIndustrialAreas“, a co-elaboration of a transnational certification standard and of a toolbox to promote energy transition in green industrial areas (GIA) aimed at cities of the Baltic Sea becoming smart and climate-neutral.
After over 50 years, the initiative has 17 companies with more than 30 different streams of excess resource flow. The environmental impacts are visible. The partnership saves 4 million m3 of groundwater annually by using surface water instead. It also saves 586.000 tonnes of CO2 and recycles 62.000 tonnes of residual materials. Moreover, 80% of the CO2 emissions have been reduced since 2015 through the Symbiosis. The plan is to become carbon neutral in the next decade.
Additional information
Pictures update connection image. Most recent connection is only available in GIF format https://www.symbiosis.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Streams_WEB_EN_WONumbers_05-1.gif
https://www.symbiosis.dk/en/50-years-of-circular-production/
https://www.symbiosis.dk/en/inspiration/
https://www.symbiosis.dk/en/samarbejde/
https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/greenindustrialareas/
In images
