| Partners: |
International Synergies, Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administrative Commission, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation Investment and Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO) |
| Funders: |
European Commission (EC) through its SWITCH Asia programme, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) through its Sustainable Development Dialogue programme |
| Project Dates: |
November 2009 - October 2013 |
Summary
At an event in Beijing held to signify the completion of the Circular Economy Project in the Yunnan Province (2008), representatives from TEDA, the largest industrial park in the world, were so impressed by the outcome of the pilot programme that discussions began with International Synergies to jointly develop an industrial symbiosis network in the Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA).
The project is part of EC's SWITCH Asia programme that aims to facilitate the switch from unsustainable patterns of the development to sustainable consumption and production, directly contributing to sustainable growth. International Synergies' industrial symbiosis model impacts upon economic, environmental and social aspects of society therefore it is ideally suited as an instrument to deliver the aims of the European funding stream.
International Synergies provides ongoing support to the project team at TEDA and has made seven visits to the China since the programme began in November 2009. Support includes sharing best practice and techniques appropriate for successful member recruitment, workshop delivery, and synergy identification and management. International Synergies has also successfully installed its proprietary synergy management software (SYNERGie) as part of this project.
Impact
The project has so far generated nine completed synergies with companies such as Toyota and Carjill, China's largest food manufacturer. Two different delegations have visited the UK from China as part of the project and provided the TEDA project team with the opportunity to meet UK businesses that are engaged in an industrial symbiosis programme, as well as key government officials in order to gain a greater insight into UK environmental and energy policies for potential adoption in the Tianjin Binhai New Area in order to increase the potential for industrial symbiosis links between companies there.
International Synergies is the only UK organisation to have been invited to be part of the TEDA Low-Carbon Economy International Cooperation Committee that was formed at the launch of the project in March 2010.
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