Forskningen som presenteras i denna avhandling anknyter till forskningsfältet Industriell Ekologi och då särskilt den gren som kallas Industriell Symbios (IS). Inom IS förordas att ett företag kan öka produktionen och samtidigt minska resursanvändningen genom att effektivt integrera energi och materialflöden i ett större system. Utbyte av tex spillvärme och biprodukter mellan olika industrier kan minska behovet av primärvärme och råmaterial. Syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka hur det teoretiska ramverk som byggts upp inom IS kan appliceras på den svenska skogsindustrin. Detta leder till empiriskt material som kan bidra till vidare teroriutveckling, samt ger en insikt om hur IS kan bidra till resurseffektiviteten inom skogsindustrin. Avhandlingen behandlar teman som existens, utveckling och utvärdering av integrerade system. Främst baseras resultaten på fallstudier, bl a från Kisa, Mönsterås, Värö och Forssjöbruk. För att utvärdera ekonomiska och miljömässiga aspekter (främst CO2 utsläpp) har ven ett optimeringsprogram använts (MIND). Resultaten visar att flera fall av industriell symbios existerar inom svensk skogsindustri redan idag och att samarbetena betraktas som gynnsamma av de ingående parterna. Det visas även att förutsättningarna för att implementera IS varierar beroende på vilken typ av system som avses. De viktigaste gemensamma nämnarna för alla system är en positiv attityd från företagens sida, en vilja att agera, och maktrelationer i företagen. Brist på resurser, bristfällig miljölagstiftning, tidsramar för investeringar samt risker med att satsa på ny teknik är de viktigaste hindren som identifierats. Resultaten från utvärderingen indikerar att IS kan ha fördelar både ur ett ekonomiskt och miljömässigt perspektiv. Dock visas tydligt att resultaten varierar avsevärt beroende på vilka antaganden som görs och slutsatsen är därför att ett noggrannt val av metod, systemgräns och randvillkor är av yttersta vikt och varierar beroende på studiens syfte. / The research presented in this thesis draws upon the research field of Industrial Ecology, in particular Industrial Symbiosis (IS), assuming that it is possible for an industry to increase its product value and simultaneously decrease its use of resources and production of waste material if its material and energy flows are effectively integrated into a larger system. The objective of this work was to apply the framework of IS to the Swedish forest industry, both to gain empirical evidence, which can be used for further conceptual development, and to evaluate how the industrial symbiosis approach can contribute to the forest industry. Occurrence, development and evaluation of integrated systems have been addressed. The results are mainly based on case studies. To evaluate the economic and environmental effects of industrial symbiosis the MIND method, which is an optimization program based on mixed integer linear programming, has been used. It is argued that several cases of industrial symbiosis exist within the Swedish forest industry today, and in the cases studied the integration is considered fruitful from the companies’ point of view. The human dimensions of increased integration are discussed, and it is seen that the conditions for implementation differ depending on the type of system considered. The most important conditions common for all systems are a positive attitude from the companies involved, willingness to act and power relations. Lack of resources, imperfect environmental regulations, time frames and the risks involved when adopting new technologies were among the barriers identified. The results from the evaluation indicate some support to the theories that industrial symbiosis can have benefits both from an economical and an environmental point of view. However, it is seen that the results vary considerably depending on the assumptions made and it is concluded that great care should be taken in choosing method and boundary conditions depending on the case and the nature of the study, the MIND method being one possible method.

The many technological processes that products go through can make consumers less related to the systems behind them and their origins. The same thing happens to food. This project highlights the implications of a food system within the global scale of today’s mainstream economy and explores the possibilities for a product that originates from a more sustainable food system. Apart from re-designing a processed everyday food product, the aim of this study is to increase awareness of the pressure that the world’s fish stocks are suffering due to overfishing – an issue that is being aggravated by our current food system. For this reason fish fingers (aka fish sticks), which is a well known food product in Sweden, have been chosen as the primary focus in order to make a complex issue more tangible. By re-evaluating what a fish is, analysing current food systems and food products, making sensory explorations and collaborating with chefs, Havsbitar 1.0 and 2.0 (”Sea Bites” 1.0 and 2.0) have been developed. It is a series of fish fingers that has been designed for a desirable future scenario, where a resilient food system has been implemented. The aesthetics of Havsbitar intends to connect it to its ingredients and to the ecosystem it comes from, while maintaining the key characteristics of the fish finger as we know it today. The acceptance of the concept as a food product is an important variable to this project. The concept is placed in the field of Transition Design. Nevertheless, the design of Havsbitar 1.0 is a proposal that is intended to create possibilities for dialogue about an ideal industrialized commercial product. On the other hand, Havsbitar 2.0 follows a more discursive, critical angle towards the fact that fish fingers do not resemble fish, its main ingredient. Havsbitar 2.0 could then be placed in the field of Critical Food Design and Discursive Design.

L'usage efficient de matières résiduaires devient essentiel lorsque les ressources se raréfient. Afin de répondre à cette problématique par une approche industrielle, des stratégies à adopter sont plus efficientes lorsqu'elles sont développées à des échelles systémiques, notamment par des symbioses industrielles territoriales (SIT), plutôt qu'à un niveau individuel ou isolé. Un projet de SIT invite ainsi différentes activités économiques présentes sur un territoire à s'engager de manière collective afin de modifier structurellement le métabolisme territorial. Ce type de projet peut être impulsé par des organisations ou individus légitimés par le réseau d'acteurs de la SIT en devenir. Une équipe facilitatrice peut initier la démarche en se basant sur la formulation d'une promesse plausible de bénéfices, progressivement adaptée avec la participation des acteurs qui concourent à la conception, puis l'implémentation des scénarios, dépendamment de leurs "modèles de décision", lesquels incluent entre autres des dimensions environnementales. Alors que l'évaluation environnementale de produits a fait l'objet d'intenses efforts de développements, la considération concrète de conséquences environnementales de projets de SIT reste très vaguement explorée et l'Analyse du cycle de vie (ACV) est présentée comme une méthode de choix pour l'évaluation environnementale de SIT. L'ACV n'intègre cependant ni le caractère subjectif de l'environnement pour appréhender le modèle de décision des acteurs, ni les changements structurels industriels pluriannuels induits par une SIT et leur effets sur l'environnement dans le temps. Partant de ces constats, et nous basant sur des recherches en sciences sociales, nous proposons une approche de conception anthropocentrée de l'environnement invitant à conceptualiser l'environnement comme un système de relations complexes sujet-objet, et pour lequel nous identifions des éléments clés de représentation de conséquences environnementales. L'identification de ces éléments clés nous a permis de constituer une base logique composée de trois environnements, permettant donc de couvrir la perception de --et donc de considérer conséquences sur-- l'environnement du point de vue des acteurs. Nous présentons une méthode participative qui intègre cette base logique et permet successivement 1) d'identifier les phénomènes environnementaux d'intérêt du projet de SIT, 2) de concevoir des indicateurs afférents au regard des connaissances relatives au territoire dans sa dimension biophysique et des mécanismes biophysiques mis en jeux, 3) d'estimer les conséquences environnementales du projet. Nous illustrons l'application de ces propositions méthodologiques pour un projet de gestion territorialisée de résidus organiques valorisés en agriculture à la Réunion. / Efficient use of by-products is essential as natural ressources are increasingly scarce. Industrial strategies to adress this issue are more efficient when they are developed on a system-based level, such as with regional industrial symbioses,rather then with individual or isolated approaches.Regional industrial symbiosis projects involve different industrial activities based on a territory and that are to be engaged collectively in order to make structural changes within the regional metabolism. This kind of project might be promoted by individuals or organisations legitimated by the whole of industrial symbiosis'actors. A facilitator group initiates the project, catalysing changes, based on a plausible promise of benefits. Those considered changes are gradually adapted and refined by the involved actors. In such a way, plausible benefits must match to their model of choice that comprises environmental, among others, dimensions.While methods and tools dedicated to environmental assessment of product were developped under strong research effort, the issue of environmental assessment fo regional industrial symbioses so far as has been weakly studied. For that purpose Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is presented as an ultimate environmental assessment method. However, LCA was not elaborated in oder to account for individual environmental perspective, nor to address structural system changes induced consequently to the implementation of a regional industrial sysbiosis nore its temporal effects on the environment, but instead LCA addresses global environmental issues related to a product. Starting from this analysis, and dealing with outcomes from social sciences, we propose to adopt an anthropocentric conception of the environment, as a system of complex subject-object relationships, for which we identify key elements of the perception of environemental consequences. Those key elements enable to build a logical basis composed of three environments that enable to cover, and thus to consider, actors' perception of environmental consequences related to the project. We present a participatory method that embeds this logical basis and suggests successively to 1) identify the environmental phenomena of interest related to the project, 2) design corresponding indicators considering concomitantly available data about the biophysical characteristics and scientific knowledge about the impact chains, 3) assess the environmental consequences. We illustrate the method and its epistemological foundations with a case study: a project that aims to recycle organic residues in agriculture in Réunion Island.

The quest for sustainable industrial development demands the transition from the current linear to the circular economy. An inter-firm approach to drive this transition to a circular economy at a local or regional scale is industrial symbiosis, which refers to the exchange or sharing of underutilized resources between industrial plants to reap economic and environmental benefits. There is a widespread consensus in the scientific community on the merits and (anticipated) benefits of information systems and information technology (IT) to support and accelerate the emergence of industrial symbiosis by aiding all involved parties. Though the conceptualization and development of IT, in particular IT platforms, to support industrial symbiosis has gained momentum in recent years to facilitate industrial symbiosis, current research provides little insight and scarce guidance for the design, diffusion and continued operation of IT-supported industrial symbiosis. Especially, experiences and viewpoints of (potential) users and providers of such tools are hardly captured. On the one hand, this thesis elaborates on the status quo of research as well as practice of IT-supported industrial symbiosis and on the other it examines the potential contribution of IT platforms to facilitate industrial symbiosis and its IT support, by applying perspectives of knowledge management and platform as well as ecosystem theory to the field. Based on the gathered insights and a design science research process, this thesis proposes the Digital Industrial Symbiosis Ecosystem concept as proposal to overcome current issues and facilitate industrial symbiosis and the respective platforms.

Industrial symbiosis involves cooperation by exchanges of resources between companies, and furthermore develops regional competitiveness and increase new business opportunities. To consider the definition of industrial symbiosis within a company, and allow innovations in circular economy and resource usage, creates opportunities for a company to grow businesses by reaching economic development and increased efficiency. The research questions investigate how a business model develops cooperation between a recycling company, an energy company and a real estate manager, in manner of connections between relevant businesses in industrial symbiosis. A case study with the three companies Ragn- Sells, E.ON and Väderholmen AB is accomplished, with divisions of six responsibility roles to maintain cooperation in development of industrial symbiosis between the three companies in Broporten, Upplands-Bro. Broporten is a projected area in Upplands-Bro and this report is made as a step to implement industrial symbiosis in the area. The result shows that cooperation between three main partners; recycling company, energy company and real estate company, leads to an effective implementation of industrial symbiosis since the individual core businesses have useful supplement. The industrial symbiosis in Broporten can be developed and maintained by the three cooperating companies Ragn-Sells, E.ON and Väderholmen AB by using a canvas business model supporting the cooperation. Different scenarios show how responsibility roles can be divided between the three key partners and depends on decision of chosen scenario. The most successful scenario is when Väderholmen AB is Park coordinator, because Park coordinator is close to Väderholmen AB’s core business. Network coordinator is suitable for both Ragn-Sells and E.ON since they already are involved in geopolitical framework. It results in following division; Ragn-Sells as Recycling company, Knowledge company and Network coordinator E.ON as Infrastructure company, Process industry company and Network coordinator Väderholmen AB as Park coordinator The role as network coordinator should only correspond to one Key Partner. Potential businesses for implementation of industrial symbiosis in Broporten are a cluster with greenhouse, slaughterhouse, dairy, bakery and brewery, beneficently located close to a combined heat and power plant (CHP plant). The total maximum margin of yearly output of district heating from the CHP plant to the five priority industries demand are 3.6%, and 11% for electricity. The total maximum margin of yearly output of organic fertilizer from the biogas plant to the five priority industries demand are 0.4%. The total maximum margin of yearly input of biological waste from the five priority industries to the biogas plant is 4.1%. It leads to questions regarding the relevance of E.ON’s biogas in Broporten. Potential dimensions suitable for Broporten are 5000 m2 for greenhouse, 5000 m2 for slaughterhouse, 40,000 m2 for dairy, 15,000 m2 for bakery and 10,000 m2 for brewery. / Begreppet industriell symbios innefattar flöden av resurser i form av energi och material mellan industrier, skapat genom fungerande samarbeten. Att applicera cirkulära resursflöden och cirkulär ekonomi inom en organisation ger möjlighet till regional konkurrenskraft med potential för effektivitet och ekonomisk tillväxt, tillsammans med hållbarhet inom sociala och ekologiska faktorer. Frågeställningen undersöker hur en affärsmodell kan utvecklas för att understödja ett samarbete mellan ett återvinningsföretag, ett energiföretag och en fastighetsägare rörande utvecklingen av industriell symbios. En fallstudie är gjord specifikt för de tre företagen Ragn-Sells, E.ON och Väderholmen AB. Sex olika ansvarsroller är specificerade och uppdelade mellan de tre samarbetspartners för att vidare skapa en effektiv implementering av industriell symbios i Broporten, Upplands-Bro. Broporten är en projekterad area i Upplands-Bro och denna rapport är avsedd att vägleda implementering av industriell symbios på området. Olika scenario beskriver hur ansvarsfördelningen kan utformas mellan de tre huvudparterna. Den mest effektiva uppdelningen uppkommer från scenario 1, eftersom parkkoordinator är snarlik Väderholmen ABs kärnverksamhet. Nätverkskoordinator är en passande roll för både Ragn-Sells och E.ON, eftersom de redan är involverade inom geopolitiska områden. Följande uppdelning är rekommenderad: Ragn-Sells som Återvinningsföretag, Kunskapsföretag och Nätverkskoordinator E.ON som Infrastrukturföretag, processindustriföretag och Nätverkskoordinator Väderholmen AB som Parkkoordinator Nätverkskoordinator ska endast tillfalla en av huvudparterna. Resultatet visar att ett samarbete mellan tre generella huvudparter; ett återvinningsföretag, ett energiföretag och en fastighetsägare, leder till en effektiv implementering av industriell symbios eftersom deras kärnverksamheter kompletterar varandra effektivt rörande industriell symbios. Industriell symbios i Broporten kan skapas genom ett samarbete mellan Ragn-Sells, E.ON och Väderholmen AB baserat på en gemensam affärsmodell Canvas. Industrier med potential att införas i Broporten är växthus, slakthus, mejeri, bageri och bryggeri, vilka med fördel placeras i närheten av ett kraftvärmeverk. Ju fler relevanta energi- och materialflöden mellan industrier, desto bättre anpassning för industriell symbios. Maximal mängd biologiskt avfall från de fem prioriterade industrierna och vidare använt i biogasanläggningen produktion är 4.1 %. De använder 0.4 % av producerat biogödsel från biogasanläggningen, 3.6 % av producerat fjärrvärme och 11 % av producerad elektricitet från kraftvärmeverket. Detta leder till frågetecken rörande huruvida E.ONs biogasanläggning är en relevant investering i Broporten. Beräkningar av massflöden mellan de prioriterade industrierna i Broporten påvisar en dimensionering av industrierna till 5000 m2 för växthus, 5000 m2 för slakthus, 40,000 m2 för mejeri, 15,000 m2 för bageri och 10,000 m2 för bryggeri.

Pursuing the possibilities of increasing efficiency, saving costs and improving environmental performance more and more companies today are looking into the possibilities of industrial synergies between companies andprocesses. This study is considering the possibilities of industrial symbiosis between combined heat and power plant (Fortum) and a waste sorting facility (Ragn Sells). The paper shows possible scenarios of utilization heat fromCHP for the various processes within the waste treatment facility. The work includes the overview of previous research done in this area as well as theoretical analysisand estimation of the probable economic and environmental effects from the application of industrial symbiosis. The study covers several possibilities for the industrial symbiosis between CHP and waste treatment facility in form of heat application for the waste streams upgrading.The study proposes the heat application for the following processes: composting speed-up, anaerobic digestion, sludge drying, waste oil treatment and concrete upgrading. In the result of the work the conclusions are made concerning the possibility and feasibility of application of the proposed scenarios and their environmentaland economic effects. / Division Industrial Ecologywww.kth.se/itm/indecowww.ima.kth.se

Global use of natural resources has accelerated during the past decade and emissions and waste have increased as a consequence. The construction sector is a major contributor to global carbon emissions and is responsible for as much as one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. The negative impact that industries across the world are having on the environment is getting recognized as a serious problem and the environmental awareness is growing. A significant amount of this impact could be reduced with increased resource efficiency. Our economic system needs to undergo an unprecedented transformation, to stop environmental degradation but also to assure sustainable access to natural resources in the future. To tackle this issue, institutions are pressuring to move away from our current linear economy with its “take-make-dispose” characteristics and move towards a circular economy that is waste-free by design. The concept of Industrial Symbiosis is seen as a means to do that. In these industrial networks that resemble biological symbioses, waste or by-products of one company become a resource for another. By engaging traditionally separate industries in a collective approach involving physical exchange of materials, energy and by-products, it is possible to divert waste from landfill and reduce the negative impact on the environment. From a company perspective, Industrial Symbiosis can reduce the need for raw materials as well as waste disposal costs while allowing companies to create new revenue from residue and by products. The aim of this report was to investigate the perspectives that stakeholders have on a potential participation in an Industrial Symbiosis network and the complex interplay of drivers, facilitators and barriers to the implementation, as well as how the responsibilities among the stakeholders could be divided in order to implement this concept in the most effective way. This was done by interviewing key stakeholders within the construction industry to get an overall perspective on their views. The results indicated a generally positive outlook on the concept of Industrial Symbiosis among the stakeholders. Key drivers and barriers were identified as economic – companies are only willing to invest if it is profitable, regulatory – regulations are an important enabling factor as they create the right incentives for companies to participate, organizational – A transformation of the business model is necessary in order to implement circular economy and technological – Technological developments and innovations will aid the implementation as it can increase efficiency and transparency among the network participants. A tentative model has been generated where the responsibility distribution among the stakeholders have been mapped in order to give a greater understanding of the dynamics of a potential network. / Den globala användningen av naturresurser har ökat under det senaste decenniet och utsläpp och avfall har vuxit som en följd. Byggsektorn är en stor bidragande faktor till globala koldioxidutsläpp och ansvarar för så mycket som en tredjedel av de globala utsläppen av växthusgaser. Den negativa påverkan som industrier över hela världen har på miljön erkänns som ett allvarligt problem samtidigt som miljömedvetenheten växer. En betydande mängd av denna påverkan kan minskas med ökad resurseffektivitet. Vårt ekonomiska system måste genomgå en enastående omvandling, för att stoppa miljöförstöring men också för att säkerställa hållbar tillgång till naturresurser i framtiden. För att ta itu med denna fråga pressar institutionerna att flytta sig bort från vår nuvarande linjära ekonomi och gå mot en cirkulär ekonomi som är avfallsfri genom design. Begreppet Industriell Symbios ses som ett sätt att göra det. I dessa industriella nätverk som liknar biologiska symboler blir avfall eller biprodukter från ett företag en resurs för ett annat. Genom att engagera traditionellt separata industrier i en kollektiv strategi som involverar fysiskt utbyte av material, energi och biprodukter, är det möjligt att avleda avfall från deponering och minska den negativa miljöpåverkan. Ur ett företagsperspektiv kan Industriell Symbios minska behovet av råmaterial samt avfallskostnader samtidigt som företag kan skapa nya intäkter från rester och av produkter. Syftet var att undersöka de synpunkter som intressenter har på ett potentiellt deltagande i ett Industriellt Symbios-nätverk och det komplexa samspelet mellan aktörer för genomförandet, samt hur ansvaret mellan aktörerna ska delas upp för att implementera detta koncept på det mest effektiva sättet. Detta gjordes genom att intervjua viktiga aktörer inom byggbranschen för att få ett övergripande perspektiv på deras åsikter. Resultaten indikerade en generellt positiv syn på konceptet industriell symbios bland intressenterna. Viktiga drivkrafter och hinder identifierades som ekonomiska - företag är bara villiga att investera om det är lönsamt, regelverk - förordningar är en viktig möjliggörande faktor eftersom de skapar rätt incitament för företag att delta, organisatoriska - En omvandling av affärsmodellen är nödvändig i för att genomföra cirkulär ekonomi och teknik - Teknologisk utveckling och innovationer hjälper implementeringen eftersom det kan öka effektiviteten och öppenheten bland nätverksdeltagarna. En modell har genererats där ansvarsfördelningen bland intressenterna har kartlagts för att ge en större förståelse för dynamiken i ett potentiellt nätverk.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to enhance the understanding of how collaboration in the manufacturing industry can enable the formation of industrial symbiosis by identifying challenges and strategies. To fulfill this purpose, two research questions has been addressed: What are the factors hindering collaboration and thus IS formation between companies in Norr- & Västerbotten? and What are the enabling strategies allowing collaboration for IS formation in Norr- & Västerbotten? Method: The research was conducted as a qualitative, inductive study of exploratory nature. The study utilized semi-structured interviews, in total, 14 interviews were conducted with regional companies and additional actors. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings: The study reveals that companies in the region face three challenges to successful collaboration: insufficient inter-organizational work methods, conservative market for new or agile collaborations, and uncertainty regarding collaboration and knowledge sharing. The study also identified four strategies to overcome those challenges: promoting communication mechanisms, utilize financial and sustainability value as incentive model, offer a platform for networking and matchmaking, and creating transparent data sharing between actors. These findings are summarized in a contingency framework to illustrate what challenges can be addressed by what strategies. Theoretical and practical implications: This study extends the industrial symbiosis literature by utilizing collaboration as a effective means of achieving increased cases of IS formation. Additionally, this study provides collaboration challenges and strategies, with a framework to help practitioners and policy makers successfully navigate and facilitate collaborative efforts. Lastly, this study investigated Norrbotten and Västerbotten, a previously rather unexplored re-gion. Limitations and further research: The generalizability of the findings are uncertain as they rest on the conditions of the region and mostly metallurgical SMEs. Consequently, it is recommended that future research replicate similar studies in other geographical areas, possibly including more companies and an increased diversity. / Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att öka förståelsen för hur samarbete inom tillverkningsindustrin kan möjliggöra bildandet av industriell symbios genom att identifiera utmaningar och strategier. För att uppfylla syftet har två forskningsfrågor behandlats: Vilka faktorer hindrar samarbete och därmed IS-bildande mellan företag i Norr- & Västerbotten? och Vilka strategier möjliggör samarbete för IS-bildande i Norr- & Västerbotten? Metod: Forskningen genomfördes som en kvalitativ, induktiv studie av explorativ karaktär. I studien användes semistrukturerade intervjuer, totalt genomfördes 14 intervjuer med regionala företag och ytterligare aktörer. Datan analyserades genom tematisk analys. Resultat: Studien visar att företag i regionen står inför tre utmaningar för framgångsrikt samarbete: otillräckliga interorganisatoriska arbetsmetoder, konservativ marknad för nya eller agila samarbeten och osäkerhet kring samarbete och kunskapsdelning. Studien identifierade också fyra strategier för att övervinna dessa utmaningar: främja kommunikationsmekanismer, använda ekonomiskt värde och hållbarhetsvärde som incitament, erbjuda en plattform för nätverk och matchmaking samt skapa transparent datadelning mellan aktörer. Dessa resultat sammanfattas i ett framework för att illustrera vilka utmaningar som kan hanteras med vilka strategier. Teoretiska och praktiska bidrag: Denna studie utökar den industriella symbioslitteraturen genom att använda samarbete som ett effektivt sätt att uppnå ökat antal fall av IS-bildning. Dessutom tillhandahåller den här studien samarbetsutmaningar och strategier, med ett framework för att hjälpa praktiserande aktörer och beslutsfattare att framgångsrikt navigera och underlätta samarbeten. Slutligen undersökte denna studie Norrbotten och Västerbotten, en tidigare ganska outforskad region. Begränsningar och framtida forskning: Resultatens generaliserbarhet är osäker eftersom de vilar på de specifika förhållandena i regionen och mestadels metallurgiska SMF. Därför rekommenderas det att framtida forskning replikerar liknande studier i andra geografiska områden, eventuellt med större antal företag och en ökad mångfald av företagen.

As the demand for imported electricity from the grid continues to increase in Södermanland county, achieving a smoother load profile for the overall imports becomes very critical. The utilization of batteries in every type of a company’s infrastructure aims to provide a backup solution when the electric network’s capabilities are unable to support demand for high imported capacities. The current degree project aims to analyse the impact of a New Market Logic, which encourages the prospective stakeholders of a future industrial park to invest in upgrades of their energy infrastructures. Interviews with company employees and literature reviews were used to analyse the conventional energy system according to its power-generating entities, distribution operators, and market norms of electricity. Microsoft Excel was used to simulate a model that aligns with the research goal specifications. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out to provide a better understanding of how different aspects impact the economics and the energy flows. Inventory management theory principles were applied to the design of an integrated battery charging algorithm with the goal of achieving a smother load profile while keeping a low battery capacity. The results indicated a smoother load profile of the companies, followed by a lower intensity in fluctuations during hourly peaks. Further, the author observed a positive economic impact on the yearly cash flows of the companies accompanied with a sustainable investment cost. This was particularly evident when the charges were adjusted according to the norms introduced by the New Market Logic. / <p>This thesis is a part of the integrated Master's studies program at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The author had the privilege of completing it in Sweden through the Erasmus+ Exchange program. </p>

Increasing resource efficiency by utilising secondary raw material is one of the key characteristics of a circular economy. Textile dust fibre, a waste generated from textile mechanical recycling has the prospect to be utilised as secondary raw material for producing novel material: textile paper suitable for packaging and other applications. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of carrier bags made from one ton of virgin paper, recycled paper and novel textile paper (~22584paper bags with grammage of 100 g/m2 and same dimensions for all 3 types of bags) showed that textile paper bag is more environmentally friendly in terms of carbon footprint. The largest environmental contributors were energy consumed in the pulping and paper making processes, followed by the use of adhesives and printing ink in the conversion process of paper to papercarrier bags. A comparative Techno-economic Assessment (TEA) was carried out for the operating cost of producing the three selected carrier bag types. The analysis conveyed that textile paper bags are more economically attractive, mainly due to the partial substitution of paper fibre with low-cost textile dust fibre. Furthermore, a simple tool was developed with an attempt to assess and compare materials suitability for the circular economy considering life cycle thinking and business perspectives. Assessment of textile paper using the Circular material assessment tool indicated that there is still scope for improvement on the following circularity characteristics of circular material: scarcity of raw material, local supply of resources, clean and non-toxic resources. Textile paper material scored high in the following circularity characteristics: secondary raw material, industrial symbiosis, recycling, resource efficiency in manufacturing and use. In the final step, the textile paper bag was eco-designed through the combined and iterative LCA and TEA approach with the aim to achieve improved scores as a circular material. In order to understand the overall sustainability advantages and trade-offs, further research is recommended on different textile dust fibre grades as well as textile paper performance based on mechanical properties. It is also recommended to investigate textile paper in other applications like one time fashion clothes, reusable paper bags as textile hangers etc.