On 26 May 2021, two Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects, the “BIS – Baltic Industrial Symbiosis” project and the “BalticBiomass4Value” project, in collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers Offices in the Baltic States, held a virtual roadshow of industrial symbiosis and bio-based business models.

The Nordic expert in industrial engineering and management from Norrum Oy Jukka Teräs (Finland) opened the event with his insights on the development of industrial symbiosis and the importance of transnational cooperation in this area.

During the first part of the event, representative of the Trøndelag County Council Per Erik Sørås (Norway) introduced tools prepared within the BIS project to help new actors in developing industrial symbiosis. Then representative of the Paper Province Magnus Persson (Sweden) shared his experience in organising living labs which are co-creative activities performed in the BIS project to demonstrate and test the resource stream with the material and stakeholders engaged in real life context. These introductions were followed by presentation of Lisbeth Randers on the activities of the Kalundborg Symbiosis (Denmark) and by presentations of Gdansk University of Technology experts Beata Szatkowska and Jan Hupka (Poland) about managing biodegradable plastics and marine pollution.

The second part of the event was dedicated to good practice bio-based business models which were introduced and presented by Halmstad University expert Henrik Barth (Sweden). These are models developed within the “BalticBiomass4Value” project to help businesses and entrepreneurs engaged in bio-based economy to evaluate their activities against good practice and accordingly improve them. Presented good practice bio-based business models were illustrated by several examples, i.e. German case of nutrients recovery from digestate presented by Sascha Hermus from the 3N Competence Centre and Latvian case of Aloja Starkelsen developing organic functional ingredients and applying sustainable production practices presented by Jānis Garančs.

Participants were also introduced to the two Interreg projects by their coordinators Susanne Boesen and Virginija Kargytė. These presentations contained information on the achievements of these projects, produced results, and upcoming activities.

Presented materials:

Industrial symbiosis and transnational cooperation, Jukka Teräs

Introduction to the “BIS – Baltic Industrial Symbiosis” project, Susanne Boesen

Tools for new actors in industrial symbiosis, Per Erik Sørås

Kalundborg Symbiosis, Denmark, Lisbeth Randers

Paper Province, Sweden, Magnus Persson

Gdańsk Tech case on biodegradable plastics, Poland, Beata Szatkowska

Gdańsk Tech case on marine pollution, Poland, Jan Hupka

The BIS project assistance for Baltic actors, Per Erik Sørås

Introduction to the “BalticBiomass4Value” project, Virginija Kargytė

Good practice bio-based business models, Henrik Barth

Nutrients recovery from digestate, Germany, Sascha Hermus

Organic functional ingredients and sustainability, Latvia, Jānis Garančs