Preview Book

3.4.5 Industrial Symbiosis Database

In 2013 a national project was initiated in Denmark called 'Less Waste Using Industrial Symbioses'. The project was a cooperation between the Danish government and the 5 regions in Denmark. Industrial Symbioses is a commercial collaboration between companies where the residual product from one company is reused as a resource by another company. An industrial symbioses thereby reduce the waste from the provider and the buyer saves new resources. 

The aim of the project was to implement the mind-set of industrial symbioses in Danish companies and show that the companies could raise their competitiveness and resource efficiency through industrial symbioses. 

In order to systemise the collected information regarding companies with leftover resources and match them with companies seeking for resources, a national web-database was established. The database described categories of different materials such as water, concrete, hazardous waste, plaster, metal, construction waste, organic waste, wood waste, plastics and energy. Furthermore, the database had information about the location of the companies and their main business focus. 

Specific information about waste was for some companies categorised as a trade secret. The database was therefore not directly available to companies, but only specific advisers from the Regional Authority had access to the database and managed the dissemination and match between the companies.

The database was a focal point for the successful wotrk within industrial symbioses in Denmark. 

The results of the project shows that there are great financial environmental benefits for companies who take part in symbioses collaborations. By the end of the project period (2013-2015), more than 750 companies were registered in the database. The advisers visited 516 companies in order to help them clarify their resource flow and map their waste and needs for resources. 174 companies matched their needs with another company45.