The IS2H4C project operates within the strategic policy context of the European Green Deal, Fit-for-55 package, and the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, aiming to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral economy. Industrial symbiosis and circular economy are recognized as key levers in reducing resource use, energy demand, and emissions, while strengthening industrial resilience and regional innovation.
IS2H4C responds to the pressing need for scalable, replicable, and inclusive models of Hubs for Circularity (H4Cs), which integrate technological innovations, multi-stakeholder governance, and smart digital infrastructure. The project’s overarching objective is to demonstrate near-commercial scale H4Cs across four pilot regions (Netherlands, Spain, Türkiye, and Germany), while delivering a validated methodology and tools to facilitate their replication across Europe. The project's six objectives range from demonstrating 17 industrial synergies and developing decision-support tools, to enabling investment and delivering a scalable design methodology.
The motivation stems from fragmented industrial value chains, inefficient resource use, and limited access to financing and coordination mechanisms that currently hinder circularity. Through the integration of social sciences and humanities—particularly in stakeholder engagement, governance modeling, and just transition principles—IS2H4C establishes inclusive pathways for co-creation, local empowerment, and equitable benefits.
Ultimately, the project aims to produce tangible environmental, economic, and social impacts at regional and EU levels by fostering cross-sectorial industrial collaboration, reducing GHG emissions, improving resource productivity, and mobilizing investment towards circular infrastructure.
