NISP is at the forefront of industrial symbiosis thinking and practice worldwide and, as the world’s leading national industrial symbiosis programme, is often called upon to speak at international events. NISP is also proud to show examples of successful industrial symbiosis projects in practice and in doing so hosts delegations from across the globe.

In 2005, NISP presented at the China-EU Forum on Sustainable Development, and in 2006 at the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. Later that year, NISP hosted an international symposium in Birmingham, with experts on IS flying in from Australia, China, Korea, India and North America.

In 2006, NISP gained its first international contract and helped to set up an industrial symbiosis programme in Chicago.

Then, in early 2007, NISP was nominated to project manage a Defra funded Sustainable Development Dialogue (SDD) pilot programme in China. Our involvement entails a total of 6 'missions' to China as we share our UK experience of working with industry to improve national industrial resource efficiency.

This year, in one of its most exciting developments to date, NISP has been recognised by the European Commission as one in five leading European examples of eco-innovation. In April 2007, it presented to policy makers in Brussels and put forward a case for replicating the programme in other EU Member States.

In June 2007, NISP also launched its first publication through Yale University - a report on the highly successful International Industrial Symbiosis Research Symposium. Leading experts in industrial ecology from across the world gathered in Birmingham in August 2006, marking only the third event of its kind, and the first to be held outside the academic community. Delegates traveled from as far a field as Europe, Australia, America, China, India, Korea and the Philippines to discuss the latest research and development on industrial symbiosis.

These are just the latest examples of how NISP is making an impression internationally, and as the programme continues to grow, its reputation as a leading mechanism for resource efficiency is being recognised by governments and industry all over the world.