Industrial Symbiosis Initiatives in United States of America and Canada: Current Status and Challenges

Industrial symbiosis ties companies from all business sectors with the aim of improving the efficiency of resources at an intersectional level through the commercial exchange of materials, energy and water and sharing assets, logistics and experience. It involves industries and other organizations that have always been separated in a collective approach to achieve competitive advantages that imply the physical exchange of materials, energy, water and by-products together with the shared use of goods, logistics and experience. This model raises the need to address a new perspective in the production of waste, its recovery and reuse, reducing the environmental impact and generating new business models that positively impact the economy of a region. This paper aims to analyze the industrial symbiosis initiatives in USA and Canada published by the research community in order to assess the current status, its challenges, successes and failures.