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Resilience Case Study: Applying industrial symbiosis to support wood recycling in Cape Town

22 August 2019

Resilience Case Study: Applying industrial symbiosis to support wood recycling in Cape Town

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GreenCape, in conjunction with the City of Cape Town and 100 Resilient Cities, has published a series of case studies showcasing practical examples of resilience in action in Cape Town.

Resilience is the “capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt and grow no matter what kind of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience” (100 Resilient Cities, 2019).

GreenCape has published a resilience case study looking at ways in which wood recycling can build economic resilience and help preserve natural resources, in this case wood, appropriately titled:  Applying industrial symbiosis to support wood recycling in Cape Town.

This case study uses Cape Town, a city which is largely reliant on other provinces in South Africa (SA) for its wood supply, as an example to discuss:

  • how industrial symbiosis is a mechanism that can be applied to ensure that wood is recycled and remains in the manufacturing economy as long as possible, and is not lost to landfills;
  • how wood value-add activities, focussing on secondary and tertiary manufacturing, can help build resilience to certain and uncertain future shocks (resource depletion, natural disasters etc.) to ensure business continuity; and
  • how one industrial sector can serve as a vehicle to build and support resilience in other industrial sectors.

To access the free case study, click on the link provided above (click the title).