Tracking industrial symbiosis performance with ecological network approach integrating economic and environmental benefits analysis

Eco-industrial park (EIP) is systematic innovation based on industrial symbiosis (IS). Monitor and track the benefit of industrial symbiosis is critical to EIP performance evaluation. Numerous evaluations were applied based on sustainability indicators. However, dynamically track the contribution of IS from the network perspective, and incorporate the sustainability indicators, are few reported. This paper combines ecological network method, and environmental & economic analysis to dynamically monitor and evaluate the EIP performance. The proposed method presents the IS expansion as the development of EIP. The change of observed environmental and economic flows in the park level is further analyzed to account the indicators. Our method aims to report the benefit that derived from the development of IS better. Kawasaki eco-town, Japan, was applied to demonstrate the developed approach. Results highlighted the approach could effectively track EIP performance based on IS expansion, and attract policymakers and businessmen to EIP transition activities.