Sustainability benefits of industrial symbiosis: Building value from stakeholders

Abstract: The circular economy (CE) brings a shift in business operations that could increase societal well-being and reduce environmental costs, making regionalization and circular supply chains crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a strategy to enhance the circularity of industry by exchanging resources and knowledge sharing between different actors in an industrial system. IS can provide benefits to companies, regions, the environment, and society, but a broader sustainability assessment is needed to realize its impact on sustainable development at a local and regional level. However, stakeholders’ integration is still not fully understood, and successful implementation requires knowledge of the local context, stakeholder engagement, and an understanding of the social dynamics. This thesis aims to understand the importance of integrating sustainability benefits and stakeholders into IS business models. It explores eight IS networks in Sweden to identify gaps in co-creating value propositions to align with sustainable business models. The research questions aim to understand how IS networks organize internally and externally with stakeholders to develop value propositions and business models and what benefits are perceived as important by different stakeholder groups. The study found that IS in Sweden is shifting towards facilitated networks of collective knowledge sharing and eco-cluster development, and the success of IS networks is dependent on the active participation of universities, public entities, companies, and community stakeholders. Greater collaboration between these groups can lead to a more aligned value proposition and bring the highest value to the region. Economic benefits, environmental benefits, and social benefits were identified as important value propositions for IS networks in Sweden, but different actors had varying views on their relative importance. The study provides insight into the value proposition of IS networks from the perspective of different stakeholders, paving the way for a more sustainable business model.