Case
Industrial symbiosis
Port of Aalborg is more than a traditional port, transport hub and business park. We work with partnerships and collaboration. Sustainability and green transition. Symbioses and synergies. Knowledge and growth. Innovation and development. Transport and logistics. Local and global. Job creation and prosperity.... That is why, we dare to call Port of Aalborg "gate to great".
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Industrial symbiosis refers to sharing surplus resources such as materials, energy, or biproducts between two or more companies. But it also relates to the sharing of logistical solutions, facilities, and knowledge and expertise.
Since the 1970s, some of Denmark’s largest companies located in Northern Denmark have been working with industrial symbiosis. Until resently it has been a huge challenge to smaller companies to become a part of an industrial symbiosis due to a range of difficulties. The transition to a circular economy demands collaboration. The challenge is to adapt to the green transition within each company’s ability with local partners. The website Industriel Symbiose Nord is created to inspire and gather good examples for companies who wish to join forces in a symbiosis collaboration.
In 2010 a unique collaboration between research, utilities, companies, municipalities, regional port authorities and private actors emerged. This collaboration contributed to the development of symbioses between smaller companies in the area ultimately leading to benefits for the wider industrial area. These benefits are both economic as well as environmental.
In the European Green Deal industrial symbiosis is highlighted as the best available technology for achieving European climate goals of cleaner industrial production by 2030. The company supplying surplus resources to a symbiosis typically saves waste handling costs. While the company receiving these resources can be offset with the reduced costs or by avoiding the purchasing of these new materials. At Port of Aalborg, we stand ready to put your company on the growing map of Danish symbioses so that you can be a part of the circular economy.
The website Industriel Symbiose Nord is a result of a wide range of northern Danish companies working together to save resources. You can explore the many collaborations and symbioses present in Northern Denmark on the website. On the 3D map, you can see a collection of the existing exchanges between established companies and newly developed collaborations that Aalborg University documents are having positive environmental impacts.
The typical value from this kind of resource exchange symbiosis is between 4000 to 6500 euros per year for small and medium-sized enterprises.
