Industry Symbiosis – Literature Review and Situation in North Macedonia

Abstract

Industrial symbiosis is a sub-area of industrial ecology and involves using waste or by-products from one actor as resources for another actor to achieve ecological and economic benefits. Industrial symbiosis is of central importance for the reuse of resources and the avoidance of waste. It is driven by opportunities for collaboration and synergies facilitated by geographical proximity (Chertow, 2000). In other words, industrial symbiosis is a link between industrial facilities or companies where the waste or by-products of one company become raw materials for another. Industrial symbiosis (IS) can reduce the amount of industrial waste and the need to recover raw materials from waste generated by one industry as raw materials for another. These relationships are driven by several factors, such as resource-saving economic benefits that meet environmental requirements, e.g., reducing greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource scarcity and reducing waste that would otherwise end up in landfills and incinerators. The IS concept uses symbiotic collaborations and business linkages to close the loop.