Sinicizing the Kalundborg Symbiosis Model: A Qualitative Study on the Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing the Kalundborg Symbiosis in China

Abstract

The rising concern over global environmental issues, such as climate change and resource shortages, increases the need for changing norms both in businesses and in society. The concept of circular economy and its implementation is receiving increasing attention by the academics, government officials and corporations across the world, as it seeks to design out the negative externalities of economic growth, such as waste. Industrial symbiosis, where companies operate in a network exchanging their resources, is an obvious tool towards a circular approach, as it can provide a more efficient use of energy and materials. As the world’s first industrial symbiosis, the Kalundborg Symbiosis is often referred to as the key example of industrial symbiosis. While the Kalundborg Symbiosis is heavily discussed in academic literature, its relational elements, as well as its replicability is undertheorized. In order to contribute to the identified research gap in academic literature, through a qualitative case study, this thesis investigates the key opportunities and challenges of implementing the Kalundborg Symbiosis model in China. With the attempt to shift from being considered as the factory of the world and to decrease the country’s overall dependence on resources, China has been in the forefront of circular economy policy development as part of their transition and high-tech manufacturing. The findings of this research show that the Kalundborg Symbiosis’s success lies both in factors specific to its Danish context and in unique drivers specific to the Kalundborg Symbiosis only, which, when analyzed in the context of the Chinese political, institutional and economic environment, create challenges for replication. However, while there are key challenges to consider, the Chinese context also provides opportunities that create a favorable condition for the attempt to replicate the Kalundborg Symbiosis in China. The findings of this research do not only contribute to the overall academic conversation regarding the replicability of the Kalundborg Symbiosis model, but also provide a groundwork for Chinese decision makers and companies in China outlining the key opportunities and challenges that they should address in order to successfully replicate the Kalundborg Symbiosis