City of Malmö - UBIS Pilot Project

- Soft Planning Tool -

D4.2 Pilot Tool for Public Planning on Industrial Symbiosis

Work Package 4

City of Malmö - UBIS pilot project

1. Objectives of pilot City of Malmö has been cooperating about industrial symbiosis with a group of key actors in the

harbour area of the city. In order to make the flows identified useful for city planners and the

actors already active and potential new ones, a soft pilot planning tool/interactive map was to

be developed to show what/where/amount that is a possible resource for symbiosis on an

identified spot of the city. The focus in the UBIS-project is the harbour area and actors situated

there. A pilot has been developed to the extent of an example-tool. Another important

development within the project has been the digitalisation of yearly reports from actors and

businesses in Malmö with environmental permits. Much of the work during the project has

focused on how the tool can be built in order to have secure data handling, secrecy, follow

legislation properly, trust, user friendliness and most important of all – the willingness to engage

and use the tool when fully developed.

In line of securing all of the above mentioned details, the City of Malmö contracted ÅF to make a

survey among stakeholders about benefits, opportunities and obstacles with a soft planning

tool/interactive map, an example tool of the harbour area and a requirements for an upcoming

procurement of full scale soft planning tool/interactive map.

Short summary of ÅF:s findings

Promoting industrial symbiosis by developing a digital platform, including an interactive map,

was found to bring many advantages. This conclusion was drawn after interviewing critical

system owners of electricity, waste, water and the harbour as well as companies active in the

harbour area. The found benefits included marketing opportunities of the concept itself and for

the organizations willing to be visible on the map. Providing a clear overview of available

resources that opens up for new business models and visualizes data in a new way can probably

give completely new perspectives. The map can also provide an important function as a basis for

city planning and pedagogical purposes, visualizing flows within the city.

The design of the interactive map is crucial and there are several potential obstacles that could

decrease the usefulness of the map. The study has identified obstacles concerning

confidentiality, handling and presentation of data, competitive disadvantage, investments and

lack of knowledge. The report shows how these factors could discourage organizations to join

the industrial symbiosis platform and how to prevent this. The final chapter brings up important

pre-requisites and how to overcome the identified obstacles.

2. Work plan during the project 2017

• A test version database is constructed to test different approaches of programming for usibility, data collection etc.

• Internal City of Malmö-project focus group are supporting the development. 2018

• In alignment with the City of Malmö’s digitalisation strategy and work, it was decided to digitalize the yearly reports, in order to collect data for the tool.

City of Malmö - UBIS pilot project

• Internal (within City of Malmö’s administration) stakeholder dialogue to ensure proper support for a digital tool visualizing residual flows useful to city planners and actors in Malmö.

• Development of digital yearly reports in close dialogue with environemental officers. 2019

• Dialogue with national authorities about the digitalizaion of Environmental Reports (a level higher than yearly reports), this dialogue will continue beyond the project.

• The digital yearly report was tested on invited stakeholders. • The digital yearly report was finalized and launched for the first time, link;

https://sjalvservice.malmo.se/oversikt/overview/776 • Procurement of survey among stakeholders about benefits, opportunities and obstacles

with a soft planning tool/interactive map • Survey and deliverable of example-tool/interactive map; https://arcg.is/1DH5GW

After the project

• Procurement of the full scale planning tool/interactive map • Dissemination and marketing of the tool

3. Survey among stakeholders A number of stakeholders from the harbour area have been interviewed about what benefits and

opportunities as well as obstacles an interactive map/soft planning tool can create.

Benefits and opportunities with a planning tool

The soft planning tool can create new cooperation

The tool can create an overview of different resources and needs as well as revealing other forms of cooperation;

- Cooperation and optimization of logistics - Sharing products and services with closely located businesses - Joint procurement - Joint storm water handling - Charging station for electric vehicles - Recycling market - Local transport system; electrified and railbound

The overview the soft planning tool can create can optimize new business establishments and

open up for new business opportunities.

Create a mutual understanding of opportunities and discussion support

All interviewed stakeholders were positive to be part of a planning tool/interactive map and wanted to be visible in such a tool. There are a clear value in having the tool as a mutual dialogue creator and visualization of common opportunities. As a dialogue creator and support for discussion, with new experiences and connections between actors, the potential for dissemination and possible symbiosis can be created in other gegraphical areas.

Marketing

One benefit mentioned by several stakeholders is the potential of increased marketing of the

businees located in the harbour area including environmental and sustainability work. Through

City of Malmö - UBIS pilot project

being an active member of symbiosis and showcase it in an interactive map, the own business

brand could be strengthened and the environmental profile improved by being open and

progressive.

City planning tool

The overview created by an interactive map and soft planning tool can support city planning by optimization of visualized opportunities.

Financial gain and new business models

Beside the environmental benefits, the financial gain is the most important succes of symbiotic

cooperations. Visualization can open up for innovative new operations and business

opportunities. Just how much information that should be visual in an interactive map and

planning tool must be investigated further, since there are security and competition issues to

consider as well.

Serve as an educational tool

The tool could be educational in the sence of visualizing how the energy, water, waste water and

waste systems are interconnected locally as well as serving as an inspiration for other

geographical areas and municipalities.

Obstacles with a planning tool

The interviews also revealed a number of obstacles, risks and thresholds, and they were both conserning the symbiotic flows as well as the sharing of information, but the benefits still overrun the obstacles.

Legislation and secrecy

Several of the stakeholders are infrastructur (energy, water etc) actors, but also some of the

businesses, have or may have secrecy requiremnets due to being a crucial operation for society.

Demands on secrecy means that exact information about specific amounts or prize cannot be

published. Since a tool like this would be a new ”agent” on the market, there are always a risk of

making mistakes and share sensible data connected to legislation etc. In that case it may be

easier not to pubklish and share, just to be on the safe side.

Data – quality, amount, availability and relevance

There are fear of too much information being showed for potential users when opening the tool.

There also concerns of the information being too focues on one specific flow, i e residual heat

and therefore becoming irrelevant for multiple users. The tool should balance the information

and embrace several different actors needs.

Obstacles and risks identified connected to different flows;

- Data on volumes/concentrations and how they are valued - Information about potential technical obstacles like lack of standard or need of

further processing before use as a resource, seasonal variations in asset and need, quality and purity

City of Malmö - UBIS pilot project

- Geographical data; potentail buyer of residual heat needs vaste areas for establishment, i e greenhouses or potential user of steam needs being established on the grid to be profitable

All data need not to be visible directly in a tool, but can be collected through ddirect contact

between actors. Although the initial data must show as much information that a potential

business deal can be identiefied. There can also be a misunderstanding risk connected in

showing the amount of residual flows, i e the amount seems shockingly high although the actor

is really a champion in material efficiency in their line of business.

Economy – investments, business models and existing deals

High investments and the allocation of investments between actors are known potential

obstacles for symbiosis.

Lack of and/or insecure financial information in a tool is a risk of showing wrong potential for

symbiosis, and lack of established business models for residual flows and already running

business deals are obstacles to be aware of. Also the existing market and prizing of virgin

resources are in some areas, i e drinking water, too cheap still to be able to compete with

secondary flows.

Competition disadvantages – processes, business economy and development

Businesses and operations can feel business disadvantages and vulnerability in showing off their production and the risks of sharing too much information. Too much information can reveal beforehand about financial results and how a specific production is performed by backtracking from residual flows.

Lack of knowledge about the benefits

Many operations do not have proper statistics about their residual flows and it can take investments (time and money) to survey them as well as there is a lack of knowledge about the residual flows economical value. Due to this there is a risk of the operation not investigating the potential of symbiosis. Under konferensen diskuterades den begränsade statistiken som flera verksamheter har om sina flöden. Det krävs ofta investeringar för att kartlägga flöden och kunskapsbristen om restresursvärdet och nyttorna i sig kan därmed leda till verksamheter inte utforskar potentiella symbioser.

Conditions and treatment of obstacles

The stakeholders were asked during the interviews to identify what conditions and treatment of obstacles that is needed to make a soft planning tool for industrial and urban symbiosis to work.

A useful tool for the operations in the harbour area

- It should be possible to register both needs and residual flows - Include more than energy flows (mostly common in other tools of today) and

optimize also for water and materials. - It should be easy to use and visualize ”the right amount” of information. - The tool must be marketed and wide spread in order to be properly used and

useful, both for existing organisations and potential new ones

City of Malmö - UBIS pilot project

Data and integrity

Secure handling of data (residual flows, as well as other potential resources and needs) is of the

essence and crucial for the trust of the tool. Secrecy is an important aspect and several actors do

not want to publish specific amounts or prizing. One solution discussed is to only showcase what

variety of flows that is available, and volumes in intervals and/or permition based instead of

exact figures.

Important conditions in short:

- Clear conditions for data handling - Secure data – data protection, updated and relevant - It is the users choice to decide what information to share and how detailed - That the included flows are residual (not primary)

Relationships and trust

In order to realize a soft planning tool/interactive map with relevant data to share, it is key that

involved parties have trust – both for the tool and each other as actors. The rules must clear to

those that engage in being a part of the tool/map and one way of doing that is including a fee

(related to the size of the organization). Also that the pioneers among the symbiosis actors agree

on a common ground for further development of industrial symbiosis and engage in the tool

whole heartedly. Trust has also been identified as a key enabler for symbiosis cooperation, since

the business lies outside the main production. The tool is only the first step on the road to a

sustainable and circular business deal within industrial and urban symbiosis.

Figure 1. Visualization of the tool/interactive map interface

City of Malmö - UBIS pilot project

Figure 2. Schematic chart of how the tool can be constructed