International Synergies Limited (ISL) was established in 2005 and is widely acknowledged for its expertise in devising and managing industrial symbiosis programmes across six continents working with public and private sector clients, institutions and the research community.
The importance of industrial symbiosis
ISL is the world’s leading expert on industrial symbiosis, recognised by the UN, G7, EU, Global Green Growth Forum and the OECD through its award-winning flagship programme and international brand NISP®. The European Commission cites industrial symbiosis as an innovative means to achieve resource efficiency: calling for Europe-wide implementation of industrial symbiosis as part of its ‘roadmap to a resource efficient Europe’, the high-level ‘European Resource Efficiency Platform’ (EREP) and the 2020 circular economy action plan.
In 2018 industrial symbiosis was entered into European law via amendments to the waste framework directive. In addition, industrial symbiosis is acknowledged by the UN’s International Resource Panel (IRP) to support all SDGs through resource efficiency. In the UK industrial symbiosis is a key pillar of the industrial decarbonisation strategy published by BEIS in March 2021 and also is part of the Defra waste prevention Programme as identified in its March 2021 consultation.
How we provide
ISL provides through consultancy expertise and facilitation (to private companies and public sector alike) including capacity building and training to enable others to implement industrial symbiosis projects at local, regional or national level. It has worked in 40 countries (as of March 2021) on six continents. ISL also offers a state-of-the-art software (technological tools such as SYNERGie®) to support resource efficiency at all levels (site, company, supply chain, local/national network).
ISL also maintains its not-for-profit arm, Industrial Symbiosis Limited and has within the group sister company, International Synergies Northern Ireland Limited.
Projects
ISL has successfully delivered European projects through Horizon 2020, LIFE+, ERDF, FP7, SAVE II, Intelligent Energy Europe, ERASMUS, European Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (Climate KIC), SWITCH AFRICA and SWITCH ASIA. ISL is an approved contractor for the following frameworks: EBRD GET, UN CTCN, DFID IMDP and is currently delivering a programme with partners for the World Bank Group. Within the UK ISL has delivered projects for DEFRA, BEIS, FCDO, Invest Northern Ireland, Scottish Executive together with numerous councils and private sector PLCs.
In 2015, ISL designed and delivered an industrial symbiosis workshop for the G7 ‘Alliance for Resource Efficiency’ on behalf of the German and UK Governments.
