Industrial symbiosis - a smart way to mimic nature

Perhaps the country's best example of industrial and social symbiosis is in Sotenäs municipality. From there, knowledge is now spreading on how companies can work smarter around their resources.

When surplus products from one company become a resource for another, we can start talking about industrial symbiosis. It's about collaborating on different flows to reduce environmental impact and create new value.

- What we are doing is an example of how we can mimic nature and make more sustainable solutions. It is also a more profitable way of working. If you get the system together, it will be good in every way. The tricky part can be getting the collaboration and business model together," says Louise Staxäng Torbäck, symbiosis developer at the Sotenäs Symbiosis Center, in Sotenäs municipality.

Reducing emissions and increasing growth

In the municipality of Sotenäs, symbiosis development started with a problem. The fish industries had reached their process water discharge quotas and were considering moving out of the municipality. Some local entrepreneurs then set out to save the industry. The solution was a biogas plant where the residual streams from the fishing industry are utilized and become biogas, heat, and electricity that is returned to the industry. Surrounding farms are supplied with manure and the process water is purified. Through this investment, the industrial area can continue to grow without increasing its emissions and the municipality retains its largest employers.

Among other things, fish symbiosis is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year, save SEK 164 million in waste transport, contribute to 20 new companies and many new jobs.

Digitizing symbiosis

To further enhance the collaboration between the companies in the industrial symbiosis, the symbiosis network is now also developing a virtual environment, an IoT (Internet of Things) platform, which mirrors the symbiosis system and its different value chains. The platform will be a way for the companies in the network to get an overview of the different flows, while visualizing the system for the public and other interested parties.

-"There's quite a lot going on. Once we start thinking in terms of symbiosis, it's hard not to see new flows and want to connect even more exciting innovations," says Louise.

Part of the tourism industry

Sustainable knowledge tourism is another concept that the Sotenäs Symbiosis Center is now developing in collaboration with local businesses. The aim is to make it easier for more people to take part in and be inspired by the many sustainability initiatives underway in the area.

-We have set up study visits so that people can come and see. It's partly a business development leg for the companies and partly a way to deal with the high interest in the industrial symbiosis and other initiatives.

The Sotenäs Symbiosis Center is also a partner in the project Collaboration Platform for Biomarine Industries and shares its knowledge and experience on how industrial symbioses can be built.

-Here we are working to inspire through workshops that can start thinking about possible symbioses in other municipalities. The platform is great for creating consultation that leads to much more collaboration and new contacts that provide sustainable development in Västra Götaland.