Industrial Symbiosis Readiness in the Western Balkans: Insights from Swedish and Latvian Experience for Albania

Abstract

Industrial symbiosis (IS) is increasingly considered a practical pathway for advancing the circular economy, improving resource efficiency, and supporting sustainable industrial development. While IS has been widely discussed and applied in several European Union contexts, its development in Albania and the wider Western Balkan region remains at an early stage. This study adopts a comparative case-study approach, combining policy-document analysis, secondary circular economy indicators, illustrative examples of Swedish and Latvian IS practices, and primary survey data on IS readiness collected in Latvia (n = 230), to examine how experience from Sweden and Latvia can inform the Western Balkans. The findings show that Albania and the Western Balkans face common barriers, including limited recycling and recovery infrastructure, weak data and monitoring systems, fragmented policy implementation, insufficient financial incentives, and low levels of cooperation between industrial actors; the Latvian survey data indicate that several of these barriers, particularly limited awareness and inter-sectoral trust, persist even in more institutionally mature EU contexts. Simultaneously, the region shows significant potential for first-generation IS initiatives, particularly in agri-food processing, organic waste, construction materials, industrial zones, municipal waste streams, and local energy solutions. The study concludes that Albania and the Western Balkans should adopt a staged approach, beginning with resource mapping, pilot projects, facilitation platforms, and targeted policy support, informed by the governance models, self-organized, facilitated network, and institutionalized eco-industrial park, documented in the wider European literature. Such an approach can contribute to SDGs 8, 9, 12, 13, and 17 by strengthening industrial cooperation, reducing waste, improving resource productivity, and supporting a more inclusive circular economy transition.