When one company’s residue becomes a resource for another company in an industrial symbiosis, competitiveness and adaptability in the companies involved are strengthened. And this benefits the whole of Denmark by protecting jobs and paving the way for new ones. Industrial symbioses are also obvious platforms for establishing shared development projects and strategic collaborations, which can create better conditions.
The benefits are many:
Increased growth and competitiveness
- Lower production costs with fewer expenses for purchasing and disposal
- Income from by-products
Decoupling of growth and resource consumption
- Growth, with reduced consumption of materials and waste production
- Lower CO2 emissions
Better control and adaptability
- Wider choice of suppliers and increased energy security with multi-pronged strategy (By creating and utilising one’s own local resources, one obtains less dependence on imports and world markets)
- Increased resilience by acting in partnerships that, for example, secure local resources in the long term and are less exposed to the instability and fluctuations of world markets
- Increased control and management of the flow of resources and materials
Better innovation and business development
- Development and innovation strength achieved by connecting different competences both internally at the companies and between companies
- Increased possibility of employee innovation Development of new products, customer groups and markets
- New business models based on the utilisation of resources in the residual flows
- New export opportunities
Increased motivation and market value
- Increased PR and CSR value locally and globally
- Opportunity for shared marketing and investor efforts
- Increased motivation, job satisfaction and pride among the employees involved