Advancing Industrial Symbiosis: The Dynamic Role of Public Organisations

ABSTRACT Industrial symbiosis is a key circular economy strategy that relies on collaboration among diverse actors to turn residual streams into new value. Although prior research acknowledges supportive public‐sector involvement, there is a lack of understanding of how public organisations' roles evolve over time as industrial symbiosis initiatives develop. This study addresses this gap through a qualitative case study of a regional industrial ecosystem in northern Sweden. Drawing on 25 interviews with public organisations, support actors and producers, five distinct public‐sector roles are identified (policymaker, facilitator, knowledge broker/data provider, participant and financier). The study shows that roles shift across industrial symbiosis development phases, and a framework is developed that links role configurations to phase‐specific barriers. The study contributes by conceptualising public organisations as dynamic ecosystem actors and by offering a practical framework that helps public organisations to align roles with evolving ecosystem needs to support long‐term circular economy transformation.