© Copyright International Synergies Limited - 2013

EXPLOITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS:Birmingham’s Circular Economy Potential

Peter LaybournChief Executive

International Synergies Limited

Edgbaston Cricket Ground11th April 2013

© Copyright International Synergies Limited - 2013

What is Industrial Symbiosis?

• Numerous academic definitions...In essence: • Industrial symbiosis is a systems approach to a more

sustainable and integrated industrial economy that identifies business opportunities to improve resource utilisation (materials, energy, water, capacity, expertise, assets etc)

Source: Lombardi and Laybourn (2012) Journal of Industrial Ecology 16(1)

Industrial Systems: Linear v Circular

Linear System

ProductsNatural Resources

Waste

Transition towards Circular System

Natural Resources

Products

Products

Waste

A

Resource

Natural Resources

Workshops

Opportunity Mapping

Case Study: Birse Civils – Project in Selly Oak

Company: • Birse Civils Ltd

Summary:• The company was searching for a

suitable sustainable material to use for the temporary diversion of the canal

Achievements:• Cost Saving £40,000• CO2 reduced of 375 tonnes• Saving of 1,000 tonnes of Virgin

Material• Saving of 6,000 tonnes of Water• Additional Sales of £9,000

METRICS Unit Results to Date Lifetime Impact*

Cost savings £ 41,402,903 124,208,710

Additional sales £ 69,517,963 157,009,435

CO2 reduction T 1,695,590 5,086,770

Landfill diversion T 1,136,795 4,250,385

Hazardous waste eliminated T 27,990 83,970

Virgin material savings T 3,346,775 10,040,326

Water savings T 4,446,425 13,339,274

Jobs 3,269

Private investment £ £115,368,177

NB: Independently verified *limited to 5 years - 20% decay pa

NISP (West Midlands) Delivered Outcomes April 2005 - March 2013

£4 million Investment

Our International Experience

CountryProjectRegion/State Client

HungaryNISP HungaryKozep-Magyarorszag, Budapest

European Union Life+Climate KIC

TurkeyNISP TurkeyIskenderun Bay areaBP

South KoreaCo-operation on Eco-Park Development

ChinaTianjin Economic Development Area Industrial Symbiosis NetworkTianjinEuropean Union Switch Asia

ChinaPilot Project – Circular EconomyYunnan ProvinceDefra – Sustainable Development Dialogues

RomaniaECOREGSuceavaEuropean Union Life+

MexicoNISP Mexico

Toluca LermaDefra – Sustainable

Development Dialogues

South AfricaSouth Africa Industrial

Symbiosis Pilot ProgrammeGauteng Province

Defra – SustainableDevelopment Dialogues

PolandEUR-ISWroclawClimate KIC

BelgiumessenciaBrussels

BrazilNISP Brazil

Minas GeraisDefra – Sustainable

Development DialoguesAl-Invest

ItalyENEARome

NetherlandsProvince of LimburgLimburg

SlovakiaReducing Production Wasteby Industrial SymbiosisBratislavsky krajERDF

United KingdomNISPEngland, Scotland, N. Ireland & WalesDefra, Scottish Government, Invest Northern Ireland, Welsh Government

Finland

Motiva/

SITRAHelsinki

Identifying Investment Opportunities for Tysley Environmental Enterprise Zone (TEEZ)

Position Birmingham as leader in resource recovery technologies

TodaySynergies

TomorrowInward

Investment

FutureInnovation

• Potential resource and energy synergies• Transport infrastructure for resource efficiency

• Opportunities for green growth and inward investment• Businesses to benefit from technology transfer• ‘Catalyst’ developments (key opportunity sites)

• Innovation potential for new business creation• Opportunities for green growth and inward investment• Transport infrastructure for resource efficiency

Specific Investment Opportunities based on Local Resources

Industrial plastics

ASR/ash for metal recovery

Site 3- RDF/ERF- Drying facility

Site 1- Acids recovery- Pre- MRF- Plastics washing- Gasification

Site 3- WEEE repair & metals recovery- Technology incubator- Fuel cell recovery

Site 2- Pyrolysis- Gasification

Needs site with industrial buildings- AD with urban farming

MSWNon-recyclable

Clean plastics

RDF

Acids

WEEE

Non-recyclable plastics

ASR

Paper sludge

Food waste

Bottom ash for metal recovery

Medical waste

Recovered metals

plastics

Char

Repaired equipment

Recovered acidsBin bags

Fuel cells

Plastics manufacturer- Closed loop bin bags for B’ham- Plastics innovation

ERF

Future Vision: Integrated Resource Recovery System with Innovation Centres

Position Birmingham as leader in resource recovery technologies

TodaySynergies

TomorrowInward

Investment

FutureInnovation

• Recover Palladium from road sweepings• Small-scale local combined-heat-and-power (CHP)

opportunities anchored by existing incinerator

• Innovate means to recycle lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries in a cost-effective way

• Establish WEEE reprocessor to recover plastics, precious metals and rare earth elements from WEEE

• Capture precious metals from incinerator bottom ash• Use anaerobic digestion to anchor urban farming

integrated system

Recent European Policy on Industrial Symbiosis

•Best Practice under the European Waste FrameworkDirective (2009)

•Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (2011)

•DG Enterprise Sustainable Industry-Going for Growth &Resource Efficiency (2011)

•European Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (2012)

•European Resource Efficiency Platform (2013)

Underpinning Evidence for the EU:COWI Report (2011)

• Economic analysis of resource efficiency policies; “the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme has the maximum possible score based on economic and environmental benefits amongst 120 policies from 23 countries”

• The report presents evidence to support a European-wide replication of NISP stating, “NISP shows high potential for improving resource efficiency, and the programme could be successfully replicated in every EU Member State”

• “NISP has significant implications for profitability…and provides for a long-term sustainable investment for growth”

Now in Mainstream Industrial Policy...

“The new Industrial Policy update launched recently included practical proposals for industrial symbiosis schemes across

Europe...Industrial symbiosis will be one of our priorities in 2013”

Commissioner Potočnik in a speech to the Business Europe Advisory Board and Support Group (October 2012)

Birmingham...Home of Industrial Symbiosis

AustraliaAustriaBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaDenmarkEU (Commission)FinlandFranceGermanyHungaryIndiaIndonesiaItaly

JapanMexicoNetherlandsNigeriaNorwayPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwitzerlandTurkeyUSA

Birmingham’s Best Kept Secret

International Synergies’ NISP is accredited by the European Commission as an Exemplar of Eco-Innovation through its Environmental Technologies Action Plan2007

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) declared Industrial Symbiosis “a la NISP” an “excellent example of systemic innovation vital for future green growth”

2010International Synergies received the Environmental Excellence Award for Best Carbon Reduction Programme for NISP

2010

NISP has been highlighted as 1 of 20 Worldwide Green Game Changing Innovations in a report commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)2010

British Expertise International Award for implementing the NationalIndustrial Symbiosis Programme on a Global Scale2009

Worldwatch Institute Europe, Best Practice Business Sustainability and Innovation in Publication launched at European Parliament, June 2013 2013

International Synergies has been chosen to organise a Public Private Partnership on industrial symbiosis for the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) Copenhagen in October 2013

How Far We Have Come

2004: Industrial Symbiosis as a Novelty

“If companies can make use of waste, it will be a big benefit”

Dax Lovegrove

One company’s waste may turn out to be

suitable fuel for another, saysSarah Murray

2010: Financial Times Managing Climate Change

Assessing industrial symbiosis’ contribution to climate change mitigation

and energy security

2012: Nature Climate Change

2012: Energy Delta Institute

2013: Financial Times Mainstream Business Education

What More We Can Do...?

• Support Birmingham's’ Businesses• Big contribution to Birmingham’s CO2 reduction target• Maximise innovation from local universities• Support Birmingham’s Green Commission (especially on growth)• Support LEP target on jobs and GVA• TEEZ potential alone is… 500 jobs, 55kt carbon pa, £2M pa cost

savings, £15M pa GVA

Industrial Symbiosis “IS” is “Born in Birmingham”

Peter LaybournChief Executive

International Synergies Limited

t: +44 (0) 121 433 2660dl: +44 (0) 121 433 2667

e: peter.laybourn@international-synergies.comwww.international-synergies.com

@peter_laybourn@IntlSynergies@NISPnetwork

Thank You for Listening...