Croatia, North Macedonia and Mauritius – Industrial Symbiosis barriers comparison

Abstract

Industrial symbiosis (IS), a key field within industrial ecology, focuses on utilizing waste or by-products from one entity as resources for another, fostering environmental and economic advantages. Central to this concept is the reuse of resources and waste minimization, driven by collaborative opportunities and synergies often facilitated by geographical proxi mity (Chertow, 2000). IS is a systems approach to a more sustainable and integrated industrial system that identifies business opportunities that leverage underutilized resources (such as materials, energy, water, expertise, assets, etc.) (Domenech et al., 2019). These relationships are driven by numerous factors, such as resource-saving economic benefits that meet environmentally friendly requirements, e.g., reducing greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource scarcity and reducing waste that would otherwise end up in in cinerators and landfills. The IS concept uses symbiotic collaborations and business connections to close the loop. The paper’s main aim is to analyze possibilities for IS in Croatia, North Macedonia and Mauritius and to compare their current situation regarding IS. Methodologically, the research is based on statistical analysis of secondary data on waste management, geogra phical factors, regulatory framework and economic trends. In addition, a case study was used to investi gate how existing industrial symbioses have overcome barriers and seized opportunities to establish mutually beneficial relationships between companies. The research results provide guidelines for policymaking and the development of strategies that encourage the establishment of industrial symbioses and can serve as a basis for future research aimed at its further applica tion and development. The paper analyzes previous research on opportunities and challenges for industrial symbiosis. The second part of the paper compares three countries and exa mines how their size, geographical position, regulation, and economy influence IS implementation. It tries to find similarities and differences in barriers and oppor tunities. Based on the research results, conclusions and recommendations for further research are given