Authors : Urska Fric and Borut Roncevic
Abstract: The study suggests more complex and transdisciplinary approach to Industrial Symbiosis (IS) conceptualization and research, one that transcends traditional engineering and ecological approaches. For that purpose, IS is understood not only as technologically-material but also as a social relationship between organizations which are involved in exchange of secondary resources in industrial and non-industrial technological processes. In Industrial Symbiotic Network (ISN) every organization follows its own benefits and at the same time, contributes to benefits of others and ofsociety in general by improvingtechnological, ecological and economical efficiency of a network of organizations. IS takes place within ISNs of various complexity. Nodes in ISNs can be conceptualized as social actors and links between these nodes are not only technological, material and economic but also social. To introduce the approach, this study first describes key IS terminology, brief history and demonstratesits the main benefits with three well known examples of best practice. These best practices are utilized to demonstratethe importance of social actor’s involvement in ISNs in their industrial or non-industrial technological processes. The article concludes with the outline of a transdisciplinary research programme for IS research.
Urska Fric and Borut Roncevic, 2020. Towards Transdisciplinary Research on Industrial Symbiosis Networks. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 15: 3168-3177.