Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP)
Partners
- International Synergies
- GreenCape
- National Cleaner Production Centre
Summary
The Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) was initiated by the Western Cape Government (WCG) of South Africa in April 2013. WISP is funded by the WCG’s green economy initiative, which is administered through the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DED&T). Although funded by WCG, WISP is delivered by GreenCape, a sector development agency for the green economy established by the WCG in 2010.
WISP has a team of facilitators trained by International Synergies that work full time to build the industrial symbiosis network, identifying under-utilised resources that could lead to business opportunities or ‘synergies’ for member companies. WISP is based on the facilitated approach to industrial symbiosis developed by International Synergies (NISP), which operated in the UK between 2005 and 2013.
Other forces that have encouraged the success of WISP include the policy-level drive for an improved industrial waste management system, the need to divert waste from landfills and the national imperative for job creation. The success of the programme is primarily due to the large and diverse network of participating companies as well as high-level stakeholder buy-in.
The success of WISP’s pilot year served as a foundation for a national industrial symbiosis programme in South Africa, resulting in the development of similar programmes in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng.
Impact
The triple line benefits from WISP have been such that WISP was a Finalist at the Circulars in 2018. For more information visit this page.