Supported by UNIDO, International Synergies Limited (ISL) have been working alongside Chemonics at the Orascom and Polaris Industrial Parks (IP) in Egypt, to achieve greater resource efficiency through industrial symbiosis (IS).  Our team is helping build the capacity of park management entities and resident companies and providing a range of technical assistance and advisory services including the delivery of our trademark NISP®-style resource matching workshops.

Resource matching workshops are an effective and engaging way to implement IS at the park level and ISL were pleased to conduct two workshops in 2023. The aim was to raise awareness among local companies about the benefits of IS while strengthening networks and linkages between companies, recyclers, and service providers. Through the workshop, attendees were invited to share information about their key resource inputs and wastes, and opportunities were identified to achieve resource matches (IS synergies) between them.

The two workshops, with a total of 57 companies involved, yielded 718 potential IS synergies from the 374 resources that companies declared during the sessions. Synergies identified involved both materials (wood, plastics, food waste, WEEE, metals) and non-materials (services, logistics, and capacity including underutilized equipment, laboratory, and testing facilities).

Each synergy was assessed based on the level of challenge required to realise the opportunity: some were suitable for immediate progression; others provided an opportunity for investment (e.g., in new technologies or capacity); and still others present future innovation potential.  Synergies were classified via a heat map that indicated the level of complexity and challenges, with the more promising receiving support from the project.

The initial Orascom workshop was followed up with a stakeholder meeting to discuss ways to collaborate on Industrial-Urban Symbiosis and to identify potential opportunities between the industrial park and nearby communities, which are primarily touristic entities. Industrial-Urban Symbiosis ideas were presented based on the resources identified during the workshop and investigation of the area. The park management are enthusiastic to progress IS within the park and this represents a exciting example of how to enable greater resource efficiency within an Industrial Park ecosystem.

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