Previous bibliometric analyses of industrial symbiosis (IS) research have focused on a limited body of literature owing to the scope of keyword searches or limitations of library databases. This study seeks to apply bibliometrics to explore broader, epistemological questions, particularly about the structure and geospatial development of IS as a sub-field of industrial ecology. We also evaluate the benefits of using Google Scholar, in addition to the conventional databases Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, for better understanding academic domains. By using WoS and Scopus, 805 articles on IS that met our criteria were identified, published in 212 journals from 1995 through 2018.On average, the cumulative number of relevant articles grew at an exponential rate of 18% per year-more than double the estimated growth of global scientific output.We observed the largest increases in articles that: (1) model the material and energy flows in IS clusters; (2) propose strategies and ideas for implementing symbiosis; and(3) evaluate the performance of IS networks. By the end of 2018, 54 countries were featured in IS articles retrieved from WoS and Scopus, with China as the single most studied country. The analysis of Google Scholar suggested that it can capture more IS articles than the conventional databases owing to its unique characteristic of searching the entire text of documents rather than solely their metadata as with WoS and Scopus. Google Scholar revealed IS discourse from additional countries and disciplines previously omitted, enabling a more acute view of its patterns of diffusion.
The Hawaiian Islands form a holarchic system with at least five nested layers (holons) at increasing spatial scales: from a single enterprise to cities, to individual islands, to the archipelago (the group of islands), and to the global resource base that connects them all. Each holonic layer operates individually but is also linked to holons at lower and higher levels by material input and output flows. An integrated study of the holarchic system allows us to explore the value of applying this concept to industrial ecology. We present examples from a multi-level material flow analysis combining a large quantity of material and energy flow data for Hawaii from the five holarchic levels. Our analysis demonstrates how a holarchic approach to the study of selected interacting systems can reveal features and linkages of their metabolism not otherwise apparent and can provide a novel basis for discovering material, energy, and societal connections.
This chapter explores how the interdisciplinary field of industrial ecology, a blend of environmental science, social science, engineering, and management, can help deliver sustainable development goals (SDGs). As a systems science, industrial ecology provides a source of knowledge that can guide sustainable manufacturing, waste and pollution reduction, and offer a framework for extending the life of physical goods in a circular economy. The chapter focuses on four industrial ecology approaches: material stock and flow analysis, life-cycle assessment, input-output analysis, and industrial symbiosis, offering descriptions and case examples that relate to specific SDGs and targets. Although these approaches are relevant to a broad range of SDG targets, the authors focus on those pertaining to responsible and efficient use of water and energy (SDG6 and target 7.3), economic growth (SDG8), reducing inequalities (SDG10), transportation (target 11.2), production and consumption systems (SDG12 and targets 2.4 and 9.4), and climate action (SDG13). Industrial ecology approaches are also beneficial to rapidly industrializing countries, where improvements in economic performance and the environment must be carefully balanced. Finally, by tracking flows of material and energy, industrial ecology promotes resource efficiency and provides a strong basis for making sustainable production and consumption decisions.
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