Manresa in Symbiosis – Circular Industry of Bages
Manresa in Symbiosis is the benchmark project in industrial symbiosis in Catalonia and one of the most consolidated cases at the state level. It was born in 2015 as a pioneering pilot project and evolved into Circular Industry of Bages, a regional initiative that promotes the circular economy through collaboration between companies, public administration, and local stakeholders.
Location
Bages Region (Province of Barcelona)
Year of Start
2015
Promoter
Bages Regional Council (supramunicipal public administration)
Manresa City Council
Beneficiary companies
~1,500 industrial companies
Project description
Circular Industry of Bages is an industrial symbiosis initiative designed to improve efficiency in the use of resources, reduce waste, and increase the sustainability of industrial processes through synergies between local companies.
The project is led and facilitated by the Bufalvent Business Association, with the support of the Bages Regional Council and the Manresa City Council. It acts as a technical office for industrial symbiosis, offering specialized advice, identifying circular economy opportunities, and supporting the implementation of real solutions.
This project is the direct evolution of the “Manresa in Symbiosis” pilot, considered the first industrial symbiosis project in Catalonia and now a national benchmark.
The beginnings: Manresa in Symbiosis
Manresa was selected as a pilot territory for its consolidated industrial ecosystem and for the existence of a business association with a strong collaborative culture: Bufalvent.
The pilot project (2015–2017) was promoted by:
- Waste Agency of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya)
- Manresa City Council
- Bages Waste Management Consortium
Símbiosy acted as the technical office creating the initiative, with the collaboration of entities such as the Barcelona Provincial Council and CTM (now Eurecat).
The objective was to demonstrate, with real cases, that industrial symbiosis is viable, profitable, and scalable, laying the foundations for future territorial programs.
Main results
- First Industrial Energy Community in Catalonia, 100% formed by cooperative SMEs (Manresa Il·lumina).
- Heating and cooling network powered by biogas and local forest biomass.
- Biomass logistics center, for the storage of forest biomass and post-industrial wood.
- More than 30 synergies identified and under development between companies in the territory.
- Joint management of industrial waste in industrial estates.
Quantified impact of the pilot project
- 11,000 tons/year of organic waste identified as recoverable
- 750 tons/year of plastic waste recovered
- 256 tons/year of mixed waste diverted from landfill
- Estimated energy potential:
- 12 GWh/year thermal
- 7 GWh/year electrical
- Estimated savings: €135,000/year in waste management
- Energy generation potential: €1.2 million/year
Synergy map
The analysis of the industrial ecosystem of Bages, carried out with the SYNER platform, identifies more than 30 synergies between:
- Industrial companies
- Waste and wastewater treatment plants
- Agricultural and forestry environment
Highlight: the use of biogas from the landfill to power the heating network that supplies energy to the Manresa Hospital and companies in the Bufalvent industrial estate.
Examples of implemented synergies
- Transformation of textile waste from pattern making into packaging material.
- Recovery of polyethylene scraps to manufacture extruded bars.
- Use of forest biomass and biogas for industrial energy networks.
