ABSTRACT
Circular supply chains have been instrumental in addressing the problem of waste by creating circular loop systems within which industrial outputs are recycled and reused by businesses and communities. This has the potential to mitigate the cost of managing waste from landfill sites. In addition, the by-products can be used as primary raw materials to generate energy which is cheap, clean, and renewable, leading to a smaller carbon footprint in the long run. This has been the underlying principle behind the work of ISABEL (Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation) on community biogas in three regions of Europe. As many tonnes of waste are produced in the region, an ecosystems approach was adopted with the onset of new technology whereby industrial outputs and residues are broken down using an anaerobic digester into products that can be reused using catalysis, which helps generate low-carbon energy from renewables. The recycled by-products from the digester have further value, as they are nutrient rich and can be used for horticultural purposes.
This chapter discusses ISABEL’s circular supply chain system using industrial symbiosis and the circular economy model to reuse and reduce waste, the result being green and affordable biogas which can be used as a public good, leading to potential long-term sustainability in the regions where ISABEL operated, that is, Germany and the United Kingdom.
