Industrial symbiosis has emerged as a cornerstone of circular economy strategies worldwide, but its implementation varies widely depending on local contexts, as we have seen in our previous interviews with Malmö (Sweden) and Møre og Romsdal (Norway).
The city of Roubaix in northern France has a peculiar character. Unlike other regions focused on large factories or industrial parks, Roubaix is pioneering a community-driven model centred on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This approach is not only helping build a diverse, resilient economic landscape, but is also revitalising local prosperity.
We spoke with Audrey Petit and Hugo Delahaye from Ville de Roubaix to learn more about their journey, challenges, and the advice they have for others embarking on similar initiatives.
Q: What does industrial symbiosis look like in Roubaix?
Our city has a rich industrial past, particularly in textiles, but the landscape has shifted dramatically. While we still have some textile businesses, most of the sector now comprises retailers. Our economy is dominated by SMEs that produce goods on a smaller scale, rather than industrial giants. That means we don’t have a single dominant sector; instead, Roubaix hosts a galaxy of SMEs across various industries.
In Roubaix, industrial symbiosis is primarily about exchanging goods and materials among these diverse actors. For example, a textile company here generates wool, polyester, silk or cotton scraps that are too small for its own use. These scraps are passed to another business that uses them to make products like scarves and jumpers. Even the bobbins from the wool production find a second life, as another company turns them into plastic items such as benches. Similarly, breweries donate their used barley bags to construction firms, which can repurpose them as waste storage bags.
Q: How did Roubaix start its circular journey?
Back in 2014, building on the city’s approach to engage local residents in the transition towards zero waste and a more responsible way of life, SMEs seized the opportunity and started to exchange resources. The city’s role was to formalise what was already happening by putting a name on it. In 2019, we launched our first dedicated industrial symbiosis initiative through the EU Interreg project Upcycle Your Waste. This involved conducting interviews and on-site visits to map waste streams and understand what each company could provide or use.
We identified 400 potential businesses, of which 80 participated in detailed ‘waste scans’, which we conducted as one-on-one visits due to COVID-19 restrictions. When things got back to ‘normal’, we followed up with matchmaking workshops to gather additional information. The result was a comprehensive database of available resources and possible exchanges. Once the project ended, the City of Roubaix decided to continue this work, now fully funded by the municipality.
Q: What is the municipality’s role in promoting industrial symbiosis?
As a city, our role is shaped by our sphere of competence: for example, waste management falls under a higher level of governance. So our primary focus is facilitation. We act as a bridge, enabling connections among businesses and making resource exchanges more systematic.
We prioritise less obvious waste streams. Most companies don’t need to learn how to valorise their paper waste, because there are already many service providers to collect and recycle this material. The added value of our database is that you can find less known sources, such as wood scraps and tarpaulins.
We have three main tools to facilitate this process. First, we hold networking events like afterwork sessions so businesses can discuss their needs and challenges openly. We also organise structured workshops (inspired by the UK’s National Industrial Symbiosis Programme), bringing SMEs together to identify synergies by listing their available resources and needs. Finally, we established a ‘materials library’, that is, a centralised repository of information on available resources within the territory, helping businesses find materials to reuse, recycle, or repurpose toward circular economy goals.
Q: What are the main challenges you face?
One of the biggest challenges for us is the lack of resources (both time and human) that SMEs can dedicate to identifying and exchanging waste. For instance, many smaller companies find it difficult to commit to half-day workshops. There’s also a lack of awareness about the benefits and shared added value of industrial symbiosis. Industrial symbiosis in Roubaix aims at attracting economic actors on the territory that want to benefit from these types of activities. Some businesses believe they’re already sustainable simply because they use a waste service provider.
Regulatory barriers are another significant issue. Public entities like ours face strict legal constraints on what we can exchange with businesses. Safety and insurance concerns can also stall promising projects: for example, a project to reuse old window frames in greenhouses was blocked because the insurer refused to cover the reused material, despite its technical safety.
Q: What advice would you give to other cities embarking on this journey?
First, identify ambassadors – leading local actors committed to the circular economy – to collaborate with public authorities. These champions can inspire and engage other stakeholders. Second, it is critical to foster networking opportunities for local actors, creating spaces where businesses can connect and share ideas.
Finally, we regret not conducting a wider benchmark of the available resources on the territory at the outset. Such a study would have provided a clearer picture of waste streams, potential synergies, and funding opportunities. Starting a project without this visibility makes it harder to secure long-term engagement from participants.
Are you interested in learning more about industrial-urban symbiosis and joining a community of like-minded professionals? We invite you to join the Hubs4Circularity Community of Practice, a free platform to share knowledge, tools and opportunities to progress together towards industrial and industrial-urban symbiosis and circular value chains. Sign up at www.h4c-community.eu.
📷 Cover photo: Roubaix Municipality staff doing a waste scan at a company. Photo credit: Anaïs Gadeau.
