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Industrial Symbiosis for the Circular Economy pp 1–25Cite as

Relating Industrial Symbiosis and Circular Economy to the Sustainable Development Debate

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Part of the book series: Strategies for Sustainability ((STSU))

Abstract

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a business-focused collaborative approach oriented towards resource efficiency that has been theorised and studied mainly over the last 25 years. Recently, IS seems to have found a renewed impetus in the framework of the Circular Economy (CE), a novel approach to sustainability and Sustainable Development (SD) that has been rapidly gaining momentum worldwide. This opening chapter of the book provides an introduction to the concepts of IS, CE and SD, and summarises their complex evolutionary paths, recalling the relevant developments and implementation challenges. In addition, the authors point out the divergences and interrelations of these concepts, both among themselves and with other related concepts and research fields, such as industrial ecology, ecological modernisation and the green economy. Furthermore, the potential contribution of IS and the CE to SD is briefly discussed, also highlighting critical issues and trade-offs, as well as gaps in research and application, especially relating to the social component of sustainability. Particular attention is given to the potential role of IS in the achievement of targets connected to the Sustainable Development Goals set in the UN Agenda 2030. The recent advances in the IS and CE discussion in the context of the SD research community are further explored, with particular emphasis on the contribution of the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) and its 24th annual conference organised in Messina, Italy, in 2018. The programme of that conference, indeed, included specific tracks on the above-mentioned themes, the contents of which are briefly commented on here, after an overview of the whole conference and the main cross-cutting concepts emerged. In the last part of the chapter, a brief description of the chapters collected in the book is presented. These contributions describe and discuss theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches and/or experiences and case studies where IS and the principles of CE are applied in different geographical contexts and at different scales to ultimately improve the sustainability of the current production patterns.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED 1987, 8).

  2. 2.

    This is not to miss the large volume of research relating to issues that come under the heading of SD, such as environmental management, or sustainability transitions.

  3. 3.

    Many authors (such as: Yuan et al. 2006; Geng et al. 2012; Linder et al. 2017) pointed out that there are three perspectives in the implementation of CE strategies:

    • the macro level perspective aims to adjust the global and/or national economy structure promoting sustainable production and consumption activities through efforts in designing and implementing proper public policies;

    • the meso level perspective refers to closing resource loops mainly developing industrial symbiosis initiatives and eco-industrial parks;

    • the micro level perspective focuses on products, companies and consumers.

    Some authors identify a fourth level of circularity (e.g.: Saidani et al. 2017; WBCSD 2018), the nano level, proposing it as the lowest level of analysis possible referred to products and components, while at the micro level refers to companies and consumers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA

    Andrea Cecchin

  2. Department of Earth System Science and Policy, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, USA

    Andrea Cecchin

  3. Department of Economics, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Roberta Salomone

  4. Department of Geography, Geology and Environment, University of Hull, Hull, UK

    Pauline Deutz

  5. Department of Economic Studies, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Pescara, Italy

    Andrea Raggi

  6. ENEA, SSPT-USER-RISE, Rome, Italy

    Laura Cutaia

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  1. Andrea Cecchin
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  2. Roberta Salomone
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  3. Pauline Deutz
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  4. Andrea Raggi
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  5. Laura Cutaia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Cecchin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Roberta Salomone

  2. North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA

    Andrea Cecchin

  3. University of Hull, Hull, UK

    Pauline Deutz

  4. “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Pescara, Italy

    Andrea Raggi

  5. ENEA, Rome, Italy

    Laura Cutaia

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Cecchin, A., Salomone, R., Deutz, P., Raggi, A., Cutaia, L. (2020). Relating Industrial Symbiosis and Circular Economy to the Sustainable Development Debate. In: Salomone, R., Cecchin, A., Deutz, P., Raggi, A., Cutaia, L. (eds) Industrial Symbiosis for the Circular Economy. Strategies for Sustainability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36660-5_1

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