International Synergies : News Centre : Press Release Article

The three year long scheme is based on the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) that was initiated and developed by International Synergies in the UK and has been given the go-ahead by the European Commission through its Switch Asia Programme.

International Synergies, based in Birmingham, England, submitted a joint bid with China's Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) to establish an industrial symbiosis network in the area.

The Switch Asia Programme promotes the adoption of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) among small and medium sized enterprises in Asia. International Synergies is set to net £500,000, with the remaining funds going to TEDA direct.

The UK's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is also co-financing the programme through its Sustainable Development Dialogue, a find that incorporates sustainable development into government policy through new and innovative collaboration.

Paul Knuckle, International Synergies International Development Director said: “We are delighted to have been picked by Switch Asia to set up a NISP programme in TEDA, perhaps the world's most established and accomplished industrial area, and look forward to working with its representatives.”

TEDA was established in 1984 with the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and is one of the first state-class economic-technological development areas in China. Covering 33 square kilometers, an area equivalent to half that of the borough of Wolverhampton, the area is just over 2 and a half hours drive from Beijing and 60 kilometers to the east of Tianjin, adjacent to the Tanggu District of the city.

Mr Zhang Jun, Vice President of the TEDA Administrative Commission said: “TEDA's goal is to become one of the most sustainable industrial areas in the world. In order to strengthen the area's industrial sustainability we are looking forward to working with International Synergies to implement eco-industrial development in the area and exchange information with the purpose of sharing perspectives and experiences.”

Lynne Jones, MP for Birmingham, welcomed the news. She said: “Through NISP, International Synergies has shown that the industrial symbiosis approach provides an effective means of reducing the carbon footprint of industrial development and demonstrates that economic growth can be decoupled from environmental degradation.

“It is extremely exciting that a scheme pioneered here in the West Midlands' region will soon be helping to improve the sustainability and shape the future of the World's largest industrial park.”

NISP began as a pilot regional scheme in the West Midlands in 2003, funded by Advantage West Midlands and the Veolia Environmental Trust (then Onyx Environmental Trust).

NISP advocates that companies adopt the industrial symbiosis approach to all aspects of their business so that resources such as material by-products, energy and water can be recovered, reprocessed and reused elsewhere in the industrial network either by themselves or by other companies. This approach results in innovative sourcing of input streams for industrial processes. It also increases the value of non-product outputs such as tyre shred, plastic pellets or waste steam from a factory that can be sold on to other businesses.

NISP facilitated synergies have boosted the regional economy by £71 million over the last three and a half years and brought in £15 million in private investment. It has also reduced the region's commercial carbon footprint by 956,000 tonnes and diverted more than 578,000 tonnes of business waste from landfill.

Gareth Stanley, UK Trade and Investment International Trade Advisor in Environmental Technologies for the West Midlands' region, said: “The collaboration between International Synergies and TEDA is extremely exciting.

“It not only demonstrates a transfer of knowledge from the UK to China, but also has the potential to develop key export opportunities in environmental technologies for West Midlands' companies to gain a foothold in China, the second largest economy in the world. Over the course of the scheme these opportunities will continue to rise and generate more prosperity within the region." 

Peter Laybourn, Chairman of International Synergies and NISP Programme Director, said: “The existence of a growing number of non-UK industrial symbiosis programmes assisted by International Synergies demonstrates just how transferable the approach is across different countries.

“The industrial symbiosis approach, which has been hugely effective here in the UK, reduces the environmental impacts of business whilst creating business opportunities and consequently jobs and new business start ups.

“Working with TEDA will provide us with an insight into the workings of an established industrial area. We are very much looking forward to a long term collaborative partnership with TEDA and are convinced of the mutual benefit.”