Join the CircLean network to help implement and promote industrial symbiosis
Clusters, cluster networks and SMEs are among the bodies being sought to join the Circlean European Network of businesses and SMEs for Industrial Symbiosis.
Technopolis Group, together with a consortium of partners composed of Trinomics, Industrial Synergies and Arctik, is implementing the CircLean Network on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW).
In the current political framework, characterised by the European Union (EU) Green Deal, industrial symbiosis (IS) is a key part of the European Union’s Circular Economy policies.
While the reuse of raw materials through industrial symbiosis can have economic, social, and environmental benefits, there are still challenges to its further uptake in Europe. The main challenges are related to a lack of awareness of the role of IS in supporting the development of a circular economy, insufficiently motivating enabling framework conditions, and lack of evidence and recognition of the potential benefits of IS.
The purpose of the CircLean Network is to mobilise industries and relevant stakeholders to overcome these challenges and to seize business opportunities through increased industrial symbiosis. The CircLean Network will provide a unique environment to its members to exchange and jointly co-design ways to develop a common methodology, an online tool for reliable monitoring and reporting of IS transactions and an Industrial Symbiosis label.
The CircLean network aims to gather European industry stakeholders at various stages of the value chain that are willing to engage in voluntary symbiosis activities, as well as business associations, public authorities representing regions and cities, and research organisations.
If you wish to be part of the CircLean network, please sign the Letter of Intent (see template in attachment) and return it, preferably before 5 October, to circlean.project [at] technopolis-group.com with a copy to susanna.gionfra [at] technopolis-group.com and maialen.perez [at] technopolis-group.com
To be eligible to become a member of the CircLean Network you must be located in the EU, be involved – or willing to be – in IS activities, and be one of the following:
- Industry actors, including industrial symbiosis networks/clusters, individual businesses, SMEs and utility companies
- Business associations that represent the interest of industrial actors, companies, SMEs
- Public authorities, including regional and city governments
- Academic members (Scientific foundations, research institutions, scientists etc.).
