Industrial symbiosis

The Industrial Symbiosis project explored and realised new ways to reduce water sector waste and by-products by repurposing them for other processes and projects. With a focus on the Built Environment, the project team worked collaboratively to find, test and adopt new ways to keep construction materials such as aggregates and concrete in use for longer. In addition, they have created and shared an implementation ‘blueprint’ for the UK water sector – so that more organisations can benefit and accelerate their own circular economy plans.

This approach keeps resources in use for longer, reducing the need for new materials, a key principle of the circular economy. The method improves resource-efficiency within the water sector, and, in turn, enhances operating margins and environmental benefits from reduced waste and lower carbon emissions (including those involved in building and maintenance of structures).

The project worked with various partners to identify potential waste savings from the industrial symbiosis approach for United Utilities’ capital delivery projects. Data gathered was analysed through a resource-matching database provided by International Synergies.

By connecting different activities in different projects, the team were able to match the waste from one process with the needs for resource in another process. In some cases, this meant an exact substitution – what one process disposed of, another process needed, for example, a pipe. In other cases, there are good alternatives available to match a need, so less obvious matches can be made that still reduce the need for new resources.

Once additional historical data was also captured and added to the resource-matching data software, it was used to optimise the approach across the organisation and to plan for the future.

This resulted in the diversion of materials otherwise destined for landfill, reduced purchases of new resources and lowered levels of carbon emissions, proving the success of the industrial symbiosis approach and its potential role in an innovative and collaborative water sector.

United Utilities offered to be the “sector canary” to test and prove the new concepts within their own capital programme and supply chain partners. They identified 60 opportunities and 24,000 tonnes of material available for resource matching, converting 20 opportunities realising over £55k financial saving and 200 tonnes of carbon. Trying these new methods also unearthed current industry practices which can block industrial symbiosis. Recommendations for new procedures, based on these findings, have been incorporated and shared in the sector blueprint.