Actions Needed to Promote Symbiotic Waste Valorisation: A Case Study of the Wood and Furniture Industry

Based on the European Union's Green Deal, the Estonian Green Reform Action Plan and the Waste Act, the strategic direction of industries is to make their business models more circular and to find ways for efficient waste usage. The concept of industrial symbiosis (IS), or the sharing of resources between industries, is becoming a goal for industry. The EIS is also piloting the implementation of symbiosis, and a new funding measure to support the practice of IS will soon be released by the Department of Climate Change. The scientific literature has highlighted the enablers and barriers associated with the creation of symbiosis networks. Based on this, several problems arise in the Estonian context that need attention in order to support IS, such as the successful functioning of symbiotic waste valorisation - the inadequacy of the database of waste generated in industries and limited possibilities of use, lack of cooperation between different parties. The aim is to find out the possibilities and value chains of waste valorisation and symbiotic networks that would support the valorisation of waste, using the Estonian wood and furniture industry (WFI) as an example. The target groups involved are the WFI, industries that valorise wood waste, representatives of research institutions and the public sector. The mixed method study uses PESTLE analysis and Delphi method to model functional and potential symbiotic wood waste value chains. Enablers and barriers will be identified, suggestions and recommendations will be made to all stakeholders. The two-year research project will be carried out by TalTech's experienced sustainable value chain management research team in collaboration with TalTech's wood technology experts. The study, as a pilot project, which provides an opportunity for other industrial sectors to apply the models in an adapted form. The results contribute to policy making and to the achievement of climate goals of various actors.