Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis in the Zona Franca
The Consorci de la Zona Franca promotes industrial symbiosis in the Barcelona industrial park to advance towards a sustainable Industry 4.0, sharing resources such as reclaimed water, a heating and cooling plant, a land bank, and joint waste management.
Location
Zona Franca Industrial Park (Barcelona)
Year of Start
2020
Promoter
Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona
Participants
Companies of the Zona Franca Industrial Park; Consorci de la Zona Franca; Ecoenergies Barcelona; AMB; SÍMBIOSY
Objective
The Zona Franca Industrial Park is one of the most important industrial areas in Barcelona, directly connected to the port and the main logistics platforms in the region. The Consorci de la Zona Franca, as the managing entity of the industrial park and its industrial facilities, is promoting an industrial symbiosis program to stimulate collaboration between companies and improve efficiency in the management of resources, waste, and energy.
The main objective is to identify high-impact synergies, take advantage of surplus resources—materials, energy, water, knowledge, or logistics—and develop shared projects that reduce costs, improve sustainability, and move towards a regenerative and decarbonized Industry 4.0, aligned with the SDGs.
SÍMBIOSY acts as a technical facilitator, carrying out resource mapping, synergy activation, and support in the definition of collaborative projects, creating a stable dynamic of cooperation within the industrial park.
Results obtained
- Map of surplus resources with the greatest environmental and economic impact for companies and the region.
- Reclaimed water network from the El Prat treatment plant for non-potable industrial use.
- Heating and cooling network managed by Ecoenergies Barcelona, powered by surplus cold from the port’s gasification process and pruning biomass from the Metropolitan Area.
- Land and demolition bank for the circular supply of materials in construction projects within the industrial park.
- Shared mobility systems for workers in the industrial area.
- Sustainability Observatory to evaluate and monitor the environmental progress of the industrial park.
- Local renewable energy community in the development phase.
- Joint management of organic waste from cafeterias, optimizing costs and logistics.
These results consolidate Zona Franca as a benchmark for industrial circular economy, positioning the region as a model for public-private collaboration and transformation towards a more competitive and sustainable industry.
To highlight
- Pioneering industrial symbiosis program in one of the largest industrial parks in Catalonia.
- Real and operational projects that integrate energy, water, waste, and materials.
- Strategic approach towards decarbonization and regenerative industry.
- Strong alignment with the SDGs, the energy transition, and metropolitan climate objectives.
- Replicable model that demonstrates how collaboration between companies and public entities generates economic and environmental benefits.
