Industrial Symbiosis as a Social Process

Industrial symbiosis is a process in which firms in regional industrial systems engage in the exchange of by-products and sharing of utilities and services in order to improve their environmental and economic performance. Industrial symbiosis has a prominent social dimension. To capture the social dimension concepts from the social sciences have been introduced to the field. This thesis makes one of the first attempts to bring these together in an integrated conceptual framework. The social dimension of industrial symbiosis refers specifically to the institutional capacity of actors to coordinate their actions and interactions towards industrial symbiosis. In the thesis, the implications of the conceptual framework are tested through empirical studies, the results of which are used to present an improved framework in the conclusions. At the core of the improved framework is a two-phases model of the process through which actors build institutional capacity for industrial symbiosis. In the first phase, a common ground emerges between independent projects, that are started for disparate purposes, but are also potential building blocks for industrial symbiosis. The presence of bridging actors ensures that the emergent common ground is recognized and translated to a shared vision. With the development of the vision, the building blocks are assembled into a larger collaborative process. This triggers the second phase, in which the collaborative process unfolds as an assemblage of interrelated projects, aimed at the implementation of industrial symbiosis. The thesis also makes methodological contributions. Throughout the thesis, different methods, techniques and tools for longitudinal research are introduced as part of an innovative methodology called Event Sequence Analysis

Exploring the clothing overconsumption of young adults:An experimental study with communication interventions

The increase in clothing consumption per capita in the last decades presents substantial environmental and societal challenges. Young adults, heavily influenced by advertisements and new trends via social media, emerge as substantial contributors to the escalating issue of clothing overconsumption. This research aims at better understanding the drivers of clothing consumption for young adults and the policy interventions that can be designed to change clothing overconsumption behaviour. This study employs a survey experiment with communication interventions using different framing strategies. In doing so, the study focuses on the potential impact of communication interventions on the clothing consumption rates of young adults. The study showed that a communication intervention can motivate young adults to purchase less clothing and gives an initial insight into how to implement this type of intervention. Moreover, it provides initial evidence that intervention strategies inspired by sufficiency can be effective. This research calls for more transformative policies to stimulate sustainable consumption that go beyond promoting sustainable alternatives

Balancing the Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects of Social Network Analysis to Study Complex Social Systems

Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be used to investigate complex social systems. SNA is typically applied as a quantitative method, which has important limitations. First, quantitative methods are capable of capturing the form of relationships (e.g. strength and frequency), but they are less suitable for capturing the content of relationships (e.g. interests and motivations). Second, while complex social systems are highly dynamic, the representations that SNA creates of such systems are often static. These limitations can be overcome by balancing a quantita- tive approach to SNA with a qualitative approach. In the article two different approaches that seek this balance are demonstrated. The illustrations show that in this combination quantitative SNA is most useful for revealing system-level patterns, but that a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that produce these patterns is more easily achieved through the interpretation of qualitative data

Global survey of precious plastic projects: a summary of findings

A report based on a survey of activities of precious plastics projects worldwide

Coordination of Industrial Symbiosis through Anchoring

This paper aims to contribute to understanding the dynamics of industrial symbiosis. More specifically, we focus on the dynamics of anchoring as they can be observed in the Chinese context of eco-industrial development. We define anchoring as those activities that (typically local) actors perform to create local physical and institutional conditions conducive to the emergence and further development of industrial symbiosis in a specific regional industrial system. We argue that, in the study of industrial symbiosis dynamics, it is conceptually more useful to focus on anchoring as an activity, rather than anchor tenants as actors. Based on a systematic literature review, we distinguish two types of anchoring activities: institutional and physical. We analyze anchoring dynamics in the case of Qijiang Industrial Symbiosis (Chongqing Municipality) in China. We have identified the physical and institutional anchoring activities, the actors responsible for these activities, and how different anchoring activities build on each other over time. Our case study shows that the attempt to bring about industrial symbiosis in the Qijiang industrial park can be described in a richer way than just ‘governmental planning’

Understanding actor roles in sustainability initiatives: an exploratory study in five European countries

Several strands of literature have developed around the ambition to influence or bring about transitions toward greater sustainability. In this context researchers have come to be interested in the types of actors involved in sustainability transitions and the roles these actors play. However, there is a lack of clear definitions of actors, and their roles. Our research takes an exploratory approach and is designed to describe and analyse the actors concerned and to identify their roles in sustainability initiatives. Our aim in doing so is to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge on transitions and to provide sustainability initiatives themselves with helpful information. Data were collected using the Net-Map tool, a well-established method in actor and stakeholder analysis. In our results we identify and define six actor roles: catalysts, opponents, intermediaries, frontrunners, drivers and visionaries. In the literature, particular roles are connected to common actor categories (civil society, governmental actors, private sector, etc.). Our results imply that sustainability initiatives are neither necessarily hindered by the absence of certain actors, nor are they hindered per se by the presence of an actor - rather, a broad mix seems to be helpful

Over de boeg van een akkoord

Dit essay beschrijft een praktijk van lokaal klimaatbeleid, waarin beleid in de vorm van een klimaatakkoord met ruim 100 partijen tot stand komt. In plaats van dat de gemeente beleid afkondigt, maken partijen dit samen. Werkt dat, hoe werkt dat en wat kunnen we ervan leren? We gingen op zoek naar de kracht van de aanpak en hoe partijen die kracht hebben gevonden. De volgende vraag was daarbij leidend: _‘Wat zijn de opbrengsten van de werkwijze rond het Rotterdams Klimaatakkoord, welke dilemma’s deden zich voor en welke lessen kan een initiërende gemeente (als Rotterdam) daaruit trekken?’

Green Lifestyles Alternative Models and Up-scaling Regional Sustainability (GLAMURS). Work Package 4. Deliverable 4.3: Report on Future Lifestyle Scenarios and Backcasting Vision Workshops

[Abstract] A participatory backcasting methodology has been developed for the GLAMURS project, entitled participatory backcasting for sustainable lifestyles and a green economy. It consists of two stakeholder workshops; a first workshop for problem exploration and development of visions for sustainable lifestyle and a green economy followed by a second workshop focussing on pathways and implementation.In six regions studied in the GLAMURS project vision workshops have been successfully executed. Thirteen visions have been generated. Visions have been compared on several dimensions including (1) sufficiency versus green growth, (2) individual versus community orientation, (3) governance by government or market, and (4) urban versus rural focus.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement Nº 61342