Closing Global Material Loops Initial Insights into Firm-Level Challenges

Sharing and exchanging waste materials between industrial actors, a practice known as industrial symbiosis (IS), has been identified as a key strategy for closing material loops. This article adopts a critical view on geographical proximity and external coordinators-two key enablers of IS. By "uncovering" a case where both enablers are absent, this study seeks to explore firm-level challenges of IS. We adopt an exploratory case-study approach at a cement manufacturer who engages in cross-border IS without the support of external coordinators. Our research presents insights into two key areas of IS: (1) setting up the initial IS exchange and (2) improving the performance of existing IS exchanges. Moreover, our research provides initial insights into the underlying nature of the related firm-level challenges and explores how internal coordination between manufacturing and purchasing may or may not act as a substitute for geographical proximity and external coordinators. In doing so, our insights into firm-level challenges of long-distance IS exchanges contribute to closing global material loops by increasing the number of potential circular pathways.