European Cases Demonstrating the Role of Eco-Industrial Parks in Enabling Industrial Symbiosis to Overcome Non-Technical Barriers

Industrial symbiosis (IS) is an innovative approach that fosters collaborative environmental practices and supports sustainable development through the exchange of by-products, resources, and energy among firms. Despite its potential, the wider diffusion of IS is frequently constrained by non-technical barriers, including institutional, regulatory, managerial, and cultural challenges. While Industrial Parks (IPs) and those transitioning toward Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs) are often seen as promising intermediaries, their facilitating role in addressing such barriers remains underexplored in the literature. This study evaluates the extent to which industrial parks in Europe can help overcome non-technical barriers to IS. The research adopts a two-stage design. In the first stage, a survey was conducted among researchers and practitioners within the COST LIAISE Action (CA22110). Participants were asked to rank non-technical barriers identified in the literature according to their perceived importance, thereby enabling the identification of priority challenges. In the second stage, in-depth interviews were carried out with representatives of industrial parks in Spain, Latvia, and Türkiye that are transitioning toward EIP status. The interviews explored key non-technical barriers, the potential facilitating roles of the parks, and existing or proposed solution mechanisms. The findings reveal distinct yet comparable patterns across the three countries. In Türkiye, uncertainties in waste classification and communication gaps stand out; in Latvia, insufficient incentive mechanisms are prominent; and in Spain, the complexity of stakeholder engagement poses a major challenge. Each country employs different institutional and strategic tools in response. By systematically prioritizing non-technical barriers and examining the facilitating role of industrial parks across multiple national contexts, this study offers a holistic and comparative contribution to the IS literature.