On May 28, 2024, the 2nd Workshop on industrial symbiosis was held in Barcelona within the framework of the European project INSET (Industrial Symbiosis for Enterprise and Training). On this occasion, relevant actors from the Catalan ecosystem were present and discussed the training needs of industrial companies in matters of industrial symbiosis and their role in decarbonization and waste minimization.
INSET is developing practical training for two professional profiles: the “planner” of SI projects at the territorial level and the “Project manager” to implement synergies in companies.
The ability to analyze the critical points for a company and know how industrial symbiosis can contribute to solving them is a crucial issue highlighted by Lela Melon, coordinator of the Postgraduate Degree in Sustainable Transition Management and Climate Emergency at ESCI-UPF. “There is a great lack of sustainability directors in companies.”
Francesc Magrinyà, head of the Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis Strategy of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and coordinator of the EXIT Research Group (Engineering, Networks, Infrastructure and Transport) of the UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), highlights the great contribution of the research groups of the universities and the need to take advantage of them more effectively by integrating them into public-private strategies. “The role of facilitators is essential for the sustainable development of companies and the territory.”
The Barcelona workshop also highlighted the participation of Tomás, a specialist in sustainability and energy efficiency closely linked to the industrial symbiosis strategy of the Valparaiso region (Chile), who pointed out the convenience of trained professionals working on issues of industrial symbiosis and circular economy in a network, capable of connecting through them, thousands of companies even from different countries.
The INSET partners presented to all the members of the workshop the progress in the area of “joint curriculum” who validated the syllabus as a whole and provided valuable comments that will be incorporated in the following revisions.
Hosted in the incomparable environment of the DFactory BCN, headquarters of the HUB of circular economy and industrial symbiosis of Catalonia, the conference allows to take a further step towards the dissemination of the concept of industrial symbiosis and its potential role in the efficient use of resources, decarbonization and waste minimization.
