Platform-mediated industrial symbiosis: Taxonomies, success factors, and strategic implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35208/ert.1805093Keywords:
Industrial symbiosis, digital platforms, resource sharing, business strategy, systematic reviewAbstract
Industrial symbiosis represents a collaborative approach enabling resource sharing between traditionally separate industries, yet implementation gaps persist due to information asymmetry and partner discovery challenges. This systematic review examines digital platforms that facilitate industrial symbiosis matchmaking to understand how platform characteristics, technologies, and design principles contribute to effective business collaboration and resource optimisation. The study analysed 56 publications from Scopus and Web of Science databases using systematic thematic analysis. The research reveals four distinct platform types: cross-sector generalist platforms, sector-specific platforms, technology-enhanced platforms, and regional/local platforms. A comprehensive six-dimensional classification framework was developed encompassing geographic scope, industry coverage, technology architecture, governance model, business model, and matching mechanisms. Critical success factors were identified across four dimensions: technical factors, including platform reliability and user interface quality; network ecosystem factors, emphasising critical mass achievement and user diversity; business model factors, addressing value proposition clarity and revenue sustainability; and institutional factors, including regulatory support and stakeholder backing. Significant barriers include technological adoption challenges, organisational resistance to information sharing, network effect failures, and regulatory uncertainties. Case study analysis demonstrates the importance of government support, user-centred design, and academic-industry collaboration. The research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding industrial symbiosis platforms, revealing substantial need for empirical research on platform effectiveness while offering foundational knowledge for researchers, platform developers, and policymakers.
Downloads
References
[1]. C. Akrivou, L. Łȩkawska-Andrinopoulou, G. Tsimiklis, and A. Amditis, “Industrial symbiosis platforms for synergy identification and their most important data points: a systematic review,” Open Research Europe, vol. 1, p. 101, 2021.
[2]. M. Soares, A. Ribeiro, T. Vasconcelos, M. Barros, C. Castro, C. Vilarinho, and J. Carvalho, “Challenges of digital waste marketplace—The upvalue platform,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 14, p. 11235, 2023.
[3]. S. Barile, C. Bassano, R. D’Amore, P. Piciocchi, M. Saviano, and P. Vito, “Insights of digital transformation processes in industrial symbiosis from the viable systems approach (vsa),” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 17, p. 9696, 2021.
[4]. P. Krom, L. Piscicelli, and K. Frenken, “Digital platforms for industrial symbiosis,” Journal of Innovation Economics & Management, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 215–240, 2022.
[5]. M. Scafà, M. Marconi, and M. Germani, “A critical review of industrial symbiosis models,” in Transdisciplinary Engineering Methods for Social Innovation of Industry 4.0, pp. 1184–1193, 2018.
[6]. L. Fraccascia, I. Giannoccaro, and V. Albino, “Business models for industrial symbiosis: a taxonomy focused on the form of governance,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 146, pp. 114–126, 2020.
[7]. A. Angelis-Dimakis, G. Arampatzis, A. Alexopoulos, A. Vyrkou, Α. Πανταζόπουλος, and V. Angelis, “Industrial symbiosis in the balkan-mediterranean region: the case of solid waste,” Environments, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1, 2022.
[8]. T. Yang, C. Liu, R. Côté, J. Ye, and W. Liu, “Evaluating the barriers to industrial symbiosis using a group ahp-topsis model,” Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 11, p. 6815, 2022.
[9]. L. Fraccascia, “Quantifying the direct network effect for online platforms supporting industrial symbiosis: an agent-based simulation study,” Ecological Economics, vol. 170, p. 106587, 2020.
[10]. G. Pestana, M. Almeida, and N. Martins, “Tracking secondary raw material operational framework—dataops case study,” Ceramics, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 12, 2025.
[11]. U. Fric and B. Rončević, “E-simbioza – leading the way to a circular economy through industrial symbiosis in slovenia,” Socijalna Ekologija, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 119–140, 2018.
[12]. J. Raimbault, J. Broere, M. Somveille, J. M. Serna, E. Strombom, C. Moore, and L. Sugar, “A spatial agent based model for simulating and optimizing networked eco-industrial systems,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 155, p. 104538, 2020.
[13]. Ö. T. Durusoy, “Endüstriyel Simbiyoz (Ortak Yaşam): Çevresel Bir Yaklaşım,” Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 563–590, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.26745/ahbvuibfd.1464397.
[14]. A. Maqbool, F. Alva, and G. Eetvelde, “An assessment of european information technology tools to support industrial symbiosis,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 131, 2018.
[15]. D. Hariyani and S. Mishra, “Barriers to the adoption of integrated sustainable-green-lean-six sigma-agile manufacturing system (isglsams): a literature review,” Benchmarking an International Journal, vol. 30, no. 9, pp. 3590–3636, 2022.
[16]. P. Grimmel, J. F. Niemeyer, C. F. Tan, Y. Sun, Y. Zhao, N. Schöling, and C. Herrmann, “Urban–industrial symbiosis recommendation platform for urban factories: Leveraging historical exchange patterns through feature analysis for real-world applications,” Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 656–669, 2025.
[17]. S. Pizzi, R. Leopizzi, and A. Caputo, “The enablers in the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems and the circular economy: the case of circularity.com,” Management of Environmental Quality an International Journal, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 26–43, 2021.
[18]. R. D’Hauwers, J. Bank, and M. Montakhabi, “Trust, transparency and security in the sharing economy: what is the role of the government?” Technology Innovation Management Review, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 6–18, 2020.
[19]. M. Misrol, S. Alwi, J. Lim, and Z. Manan, “Synthesis of optimal biogas production system from multiple sources of wastewater and organic waste,” IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 702, no. 1, p. 12014, 2019.
[20]. L. Terceiro, M. I. Mustafa, M. Hägglund, and A. Kharko, “Research participants’ engagement and retention in digital health interventions research: protocol for mixed methods systematic review (preprint),” 2024, doi: 10.2196/preprints.65099.
[21]. K. Chi, F. Yan, C. Zhang, and J. Wang, “Research on the construction process of supply chain ecosystem led by digital platform enterprises from the perspective of dynamic capability,” Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 1019–1041, 2024, doi: 10.1108/scm-03-2024-0208.
[22]. K. Ulusoy, N. Doğan-sağlamtimur, F. Çiner, A. Sternik, and P. Sekula, “Industrial symbiosis practices: A case study of Türkiye and Denmark,” Environmental Research and Technology, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 224–233, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.35208/ert.1271679.
[23]. T. Doddapaneni, M. Cahyanti, K. Orupõld, and T. Kikas, “Integrating torrefaction of pulp industry sludge with anaerobic digestion to produce biomethane and volatile fatty acids: an example of industrial symbiosis for circular bioeconomy,” Fermentation, vol. 8, no. 9, p. 453, 2022.
[24]. A.S. Dounavis, P. Kafasis and N. Ntavos, “Using an online platform for the improvement of industrial symbiosis and circular economy (in Western Macedonia, Greece),” Global NEST Journal, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 76–81, 2019.
[25]. S. Termizi, S. Alwi, Z. Manan, and P. Varbanov, “Potential application of blockchain technology in eco-industrial park development,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 52, 2022.
[26]. M. Khoury, B. Evans, T. Guleria, J. Van Der Broeke, L. Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, O. Chen, and D. Savic, “Towards the development of an online platform for an industry metabolic pathway,” Water Science & Technology, vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 382–399, 2025.
[27]. S. Ponis, “Industrial symbiosis networks in greece: utilising the power of blockchain-based b2b marketplaces,” The Journal of British Blockchain Association, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1–7, 2020.
[28]. Z. Chen and L. Huang, “The impact of digital twins on local industry symbiosis networks in light of the uncertainty caused by the public crisis,” International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 1–28, 2022.
[29]. S. Biswas, “Sustainable waste management practices in the informal sector: Towards industrial symbiosis,” Environmental Research and Technology, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 378–394, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.35208/ert.1284481.
[30]. R. Ochieng, A. Gebremedhin, and S. Sarker, “Integration of waste to bioenergy conversion systems: a critical review,” Energies (Basel), vol. 15, no. 7, p. 2697, 2022.
[31]. E. Horn and G. Proksch, “Symbiotic and regenerative sustainability frameworks: moving towards circular city implementation,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 7, p. 780478, 2022.
[32]. N. Shmeleva, T. Tolstykh, V. Krasnobaeva, Д. Бобошко, and D. Lazarenko, “Network integration as a tool for sustainable business development,” Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 21, p. 9353, 2024.
[33]. K. Singkronart, J. A. Sun, S. R. Shamsuddin, and K.-Y. Lee, “Upgrading Mixed Plastic Waste through Industrial Symbiosis: Pseudoductile Regenerated Cellulose Fiber-Reinforced Shredder Residue Composites,” ACS Applied Polymer Materials, vol. 6, no. 23, pp. 14598–14607, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.1021/acsapm.4c02728.
[34]. J. Sadhukhan, T. I. Dugmore, A. Matharu, E. Martinez-Hernandez, J. Aburto, P. K. Rahman, and J. Lynch, “Perspectives on ‘game changer’ global challenges for sustainable 21st century: plant-based diet, unavoidable food waste biorefining, and circular economy,” Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 5, p. 1976, 2020.
[35]. S. Gheorghe, “A review of the information technology and operational technology convergence using internet of things within the circular economy,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 829–845, 2024.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Environmental Research and Technology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles in Environmental Research and Technology (ERT) are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
This license allows others to copy, distribute, and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes only, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and to the journal.
