Application of Industrial Ecosystems Principles to Regional Development - ECOREG
| Partners: | International Synergies, Ministry of Environment (Romania), Ecological Group for Co-operation (GEC), National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology (ECOIND) |
| Funders: | European Commission (EC) through its LIFE+ programme |
| Project Dates: | February 2009 - September 2011 |
Summary
International Synergies is working with in-country partners to introduce industrial symbiosis tools and techniques to the Suceava County, north east Romania, as part of the EC's LIFE+ programme.
The project is seen as a test bed that will hopefully lead to the expansion of a national programme. Suceava is a region that has suffered from economic decline in recent years and by adopting the industrial symbiosis approach industry can help recovery through the creation of new business opportunities, and the identification of profitable outlets for non-product outputs and sourcing innovative and cost effective input streams for industrial processes. In addition, many of the industries in the area such as the logging industry have a major impact on the local environment and industrial symbiosis is seen as a means to decrease this environmental impact.
To enable the in-country team to develop and manage the project International Synergies has provided SYNERGie (the company's proprietary synergy management software) which enables synergies between project members to be identified and progressed and has provided support for workshop delivery, one of the main drivers for gaining and increasing industry members. A number of visits to Romania have also taken place, to enhance the team's knowledge of industrial symbiosis and to learn and share information from NISP in the UK. Furthermore, support has been given throughout the project to identify and assist in the progression of synergies.
Impact
The project so far has recruited over 170 members including companies from the forestry and wood, construction, food and ceramics industry; ranging from small and medium businesses to multinationals. The synergies identified have resulted in more than 500,000 tonnes of industrial waste being diverted away from landfill. Another of the project's most significant synergies involves previously landfilled wood from 21 companies being used to produce fibreboard.
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