Barriers of interorganisational environmental management: two case studies on industrial symbiosis

The objective of this paper is to test the research hypothesis that interorganisational cooperation contributes to improved environmental management. Two case studies – one from the energy sector, the other from the waste disposal sector – are analysed. The results of the case studies support the hypothesis by showing that inter-company concepts can result in considerable cost savings and environmental benefits when compared to the optimal strategies implemented independently by the individual companies. Literature analysis and interviews of 25 decision makers of industrial companies have been used to identify the barriers of interorganisational environmental management.