| Summary: | Industrial Symbiosis (IS) refers to the collaboration of traditionally separate industries that benefit each other through the physical exchange of materials, water, energy and/or by-products. Firms engaging in IS approach aim to mutualize resourcesor equipment(i.e. mutualization synergies), or to substitute resources with the output of another company (i.e. substitution synergies). Despite the obviouseconomic, environmental and socialbenefits provided by IS, this procedure remains fledgling, especially in France.In order to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges induced by such a procedure, we conducted a qualitative study involving the interviews of seven actors who brought a global perspective towards IS implementation in French SMEsand who provideinformation and organizational framework so that to create successful IS networks. Studying IS involving SMEsin Francehighlights several challenges that embrace the specificities of the scope of our study: firms suffer from a lack of structure, a lack of resources (i.e. human, time, material), and a short-term vision, and are evolving within anextremely bureaucratic and highly procedural country. Implementing a successful IS in France with SMEs requires at first to overcome the entry barriers when approaching SMEs, which is often the role of facilitators working in associations. The other main stakeholders involved in the synergies, firms but also public and private actors,must establish a common networkin order to carry properly the synergiesand to make themsustainable. As France is characterized by place-oriented IS systems, networks that lead to synergies are built at a local scale which is relevant for mutualization synergies, but which can appear as an obstacle to detect substitution synergies as it maynot involve enough firms.
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