The Swedish Network for Industrial and Urban Symbiosis (SNIUS) held its annual conference in Umeå on October 21–22, 2025, gathering nearly 100 participants from businesses, research institutes, as well as regions and municipalities across Sweden. Over two days, attendees explored various examples of how cities and regions can act as enablers of industrial renewal—where both industry and society emerge as winners.
Mats Eklund, founder of the SNIUS network and professor of Industrial Environmental Technology at Linköping University, as well as director of the Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC), emphasized the importance of industrial and urban symbiosis as a method to create added value from resources we already have—through collaboration. Industrial symbiosis is not new; it is a concept that enables circular economy, resource sharing, ecosystem activities, and collaborative models within industrial parks and among other actors.
Examples of Industrial Symbioses
Umeå Eco Industrial Park (formerly Dåva) and its various projects were at the center of the seminar days. All the examples below are rooted in Umeå’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The industrial park, located just outside Umeå’s city center, aims to become a hub for industrial transformation. Today, the area hosts Umeå Energy’s waste incineration plant, which produces electricity and district heating for the surrounding region. The company has signed an agreement with Liquid Wind, which plans to build an e-methanol production facility adjacent to the power plant. The e-methanol will be produced using carbon dioxide captured from the waste incineration process.
The municipal water services company Vakin is involved in a project focused on circular water flows, seeking solutions for stormwater and wastewater from the industrial park. Another project Vakin participates in is Norrslam, which explores future sustainable sludge management to transform regional sewage sludge into a resource—among other things by recovering phosphorus and heavy metals.
Olivier Keech from Umeå University spoke about a collaboration between the university and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, which plans to build a pilot facility for sustainable farming of tilapia fish and shrimp in a circular aquaculture system. The goal is to create a semi-commercial facility in Umeå connected to low-grade heat flows from sources such as pulp mills, data centers, and district heating networks. In addition, a mathematical model is being developed to help optimize the pilot facility’s operations and output.
Establishment Strategy Linked to Industrial and Urban Symbiosis
The establishment of new industrial ventures is increasingly tied to industrial and urban symbiosis, where companies collaborate to improve resource efficiency and reduce climate impact. In Umeå, establishment manager Fredrik Stenholm stresses the importance of the municipality—through its planning monopoly—actively highlighting symbiosis opportunities in new developments. This strengthens business cases, creates jobs, and contributes to the green transition.
Unified Voices
It was clear that Umeå’s ambitious climate goals and strategies were strongly anchored among all speakers and other representatives. This was evident among municipal officials and politicians as well as employees of corporate groups. Several speakers emphasized the importance of the vision for building workable implementation concepts. The conference would have reached an even higher level if private companies had been more strongly represented. However, in Sweden, municipalities and regions largely drive the transition work.
There is development potential in Finland as well, particularly within FISS (Finnish Industrial Symbiosis System). We have every reason to keep an eye on developments in industrial symbiosis and the SNIUS network.
Conference Participants:
Åsa Björkman, Project Manager for the JTF-funded Alholmen Circular Economy Platform project. One of ACEP’s objectives is to develop AIP into a leading ecosystem for circular economy through collaboration and cross-sectoral momentum.
