Oregon Industrial Symbiosis Study Tour to Denmark
September 21-27, 2025
CSI is partnering with Business Oregon and Scan Design Foundation to host the next Industrial Symbiosis Study Tour of Denmark featuring public and private leaders from the Great State of Oregon!
Thanks to a grant from the Scan Design Foundation, the delegation will include a bipartisan group of 8 key Oregon policymakers. And thanks to a grant from Business Oregon, 10 symbiosis-ready business leaders from around the state will join the delegation.
The Study Tour centers on Industrial Symbiosis (IS), a ground-breaking approach to infrastructure and economic development, pioneered in Denmark, where one sector’s wastes – energy, water, materials – become valuable resources for other businesses.
The delegation will tour Danish projects, and consult with industry leaders and project developers, to learn how Danes are applying IS principals and best practices to benefit the economic value, competitiveness, and sustainability of Danish industry. The Study Tour itinerary emphasize projects and facilities from sectors with great relevance to Oregon industry, such as wood products, food, and beverage producers.
Since 2017, CSI has visited Denmark with three dozen Washington state legislators – evenly distributed between Republicans and Democrats -- on study tours where they observed IS in action. These bipartisan legislators found significant common ground in seeing the potential to adapt Denmark’s IS model to benefit a wide range of Washington communities, while strengthening the state’s economy and environment. Legislative accomplishments in Washington may provide an inspiring model that Oregon legislators can build upon.
The Industrial Symbiosis knowledge exchange between Oregon and Denmark will not end with the study tour in Denmark. To maximize enduring impact, it is also essential to share the knowledge among the broader Oregon community, to identify policy priorities with bipartisan support of top legislators, and to build ongoing relationships between innovators in Oregon and Denmark so that valuable knowledge flows both ways.
Hear from last year's delegates!
