Industrial Symbiosis Dynamics, a Strategy to Accomplish Complex Analysis: The Dunkirk Case Study

Abstract

Industrial symbiosis (IS) is presented as an inter-firm organizational strategy with the aim of social innovation that targets material and energy flow optimization but also structural sustainability. In this paper, we present geographical proximity as the theoretical framework used to analyse industrial symbiosis through a methodology based on System Dynamics and the underpinning use of Causal Loop Diagrams, aiming to identify the main drivers and hindrances that reinforce or regulate the industrial symbiosis's sustainability. The understanding of industrial symbiosis is embedded in a theoretical framework that conceptualizes industry as a complex ecosystem in which proximity analysis and stakeholder theory are determinant, giving this methodology a comparative advantage over descriptive statistical forecasting, because it is able to integrate social causal rationality when forecasting attractiveness in a region or individual firm's potential. A successful industrial symbiosis lasts only if it is able to address collective action problems. The stakeholders' influence then becomes essential to the complex understanding of this institution, because by shaping individual behaviour in a social context, industrial symbiosis provides a degree of coordination and cooperation in order to overcome social dilemmas for actors who cannot achieve their own goals alone. The proposed narrative encourages us to draw up scenarios, integrating variables from different motivational value dimensions: efficiency, resilience, cooperation and proximity in the industrial symbiosis. We use the Dunkirk case study to explain the role of geographical systems analysis, identifying loops that reinforce or regulate the sustainability of industrial symbiosis and identifying three leverage points: "Training, workshop and education programs for managers and directors," "Industrial symbiosis governance" and "Agreements in waste regulation conflicts." The social dynamics aims for the consolidation of the network, through stakeholder interaction and explains the local success and failure of every industrial symbiosis through a system dynamics analysis.

Fostering Circular Economy Through the Analysis of Existing Open Access Industrial Symbiosis Databases

“…Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a branch of industrial ecology that emerged to facilitate achieving these benefits by favoring exchanges between pairs of companies [5], such that the waste (materials, energy or water) produced by one become the raw materials used by another [6]. Hence, this approach focuses on achieving a closed loop for materials, which is a key aspect in Circular Economy [7].…”

The Importance of Individual Actor Characteristics and Contextual Aspects for Promoting Industrial Symbiosis Networks

“…Clearly, the actors involved in the network have different roles to play in the symbiosis collaboration. The responsibilities of the actors have been shown to impact the perception of factors that influence participation [4,39]. For instance, Ji et al [40] show that a company's perception of different influencing factors differs depending on whether the company is a receiver or a producer of an excess resource.…”

Moving Towards the Circular Economy/City Model: Which Tools for Operationalizing This Model?

“…which for decades have produced negative impacts on the environment (so it is an area with high levels of pollution). In this context, Ecopal (association of Economy and Ecology Partners in Local Action), one of the first associations dedicated to industrial ecology in France, plays an essential role [61][62][63][64] (Tables 6 and 7). The Ecopal was created in 2001 for promoting and encouraging, through pooling services assistance, industrial ecology and industrial symbiosis in Dunkirk [62].…”