Industrial Symbiosis and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

In the current economic and political environment, proper waste management systems are an unconditional priority, and challenge, for both private and public sectors. The research topic of industrial symbiosis seeks to address these concerns by improving the exchanges of resources between industries, where the waste of one company may be useful for others. When it comes to facing these challenges, industrial symbiosis allows for the reuse of materials that otherwise could have been wasted, and it prevents them from being misused or discarded altogether.

Industrial symbiosis has generally been associated with primarily industries. However, other types of sectors, such as research and academia, governments, and municipal and associated systems (agriculture, forestry, etc.) can also become involved in symbiotic exchanges of material, energy, and knowledge. These exchanges can result in numerous environmental and economic benefits among different entities to bring collective benefits. Interwoven with the concept of circular economy, industrial ecology, and eco-industrial parks, industrial symbiosis is considered to be a groundbreaking method that could decrease resource waste and is a key element for circular economy realization.

This Special Issue intends to deepen the knowledge of industrial symbiosis and its implications for sustainability, one of the main concepts in the circular economy and industrial ecology. The potential benefits that industrial symbiosis can bring are diverse; therefore, contributions from different research areas are welcome. Researchers are encouraged to submit contributions that touch on several aspects of industrial symbiosis and its relationship to several contiguous topics.        

Dr. Helena Carvalho
Dr. Michael Martin
Dr. Radu Godina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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