UK Scheme Set For Switch To China

Having exported a degree of the UK’s industrial carbon emissions to China as a result of importing its manufacturing goods, the UK is now set to send China a UK success story that could drastically reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

International Synergies (UK) has beaten off competition from a hundred European initiatives to secure a €1.8 million deal to establish an industrial symbiosis network in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), the world’s largest industrial park.

The three year long scheme is based on the hugely successful National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP), which has cut the UK’s industrial carbon emissions by 20 million tonnes* in the last four years, was given the go-ahead by the European Commission through its Switch Asia Programme.

Switch Asia promotes the adoption of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) among small and medium sized enterprises in Asia. International Synergies is set to net £500,000 through the deal with the remaining funds going to TEDA direct.

Peter Laybourn, Chief Executive of International Synergies and NISP Programme Director, said: “China is now the world’s single largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly as a direct result of western economies importing goods manufactured there rather than making them at home.

I am delighted that we’ve won the bid to set up an industrial symbiosis scheme in TEDA and that we’re able to export a proven and effective means to help the country to cuts its carbon emissions but ensure it maintains its high levels of economic activity.”

TEDA was established in 1984 with the approval of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China and is one of the first state-class economic-technological development areas in China. Covering 33 square kilometers, (16 times larger than Slough Trading Estate, Europe’s largest industrial estate in single private ownership) it is two and a half hours drive East of Beijing and 60 kilometers to the east of Tianjin, adjacent to the Tanggu District of the city.

Mr Zhang Jun, Vice President of the TEDA Administrative Commission said: “TEDA’s goal is to become one of the most sustainable industrial areas in the world. In order to strengthen the area’s industrial sustainability we are looking forward to working with International Synergies to implement eco-industrial development in the area and exchange information with the purpose of sharing perspectives and experiences.”

NISP was launched as a national UK-wide scheme in April 2005 after receiving funding from Defra through its Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme as well as funding from the Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland.

NISP advocates that companies adopt the industrial symbiosis approach to all aspects of their business so that resources such as material by-products, energy and water can be recovered, reprocessed and reused elsewhere in the industrial network either by themselves or by other companies. This approach results in innovative sourcing of input streams for industrial processes. It also increases the value of non-product outputs such as tyre shred, plastic pellets or waste steam from a factory that can be sold on to other businesses.

NISP facilitated synergies have boosted the national economy by £282 million over the last four years and brought in £116 million in private investment. It has also diverted more than 11 million tonnes* of business waste from landfill.