Abstract
Industrial symbiosis, a collaborative approach promoting resource exchange between businesses, offers significant environmental and economic benefits. However, the potential of its socio-economic dimensions, particularly for empowering small businesses, remains largely unexplored. The purpose of the study is to investigate the often-neglected social impacts of industrial symbiosis, focusing on aspects like regional economic development, job creation and community well-being. The methodology of the study is to conduct a systematic literature review of the existing literature. The PICO framework was used to generate pertinent research questions. Four well-regarded databases were combed, yielding an initial harvest of 1235 articles. Employing the PRISMA method, this initial set was refined to a more manageable selection of 90 articles. The expected outcomes of the study are to unveil emergent patterns, trends and significant correlations between symbiotic relationships and socio-political dimensions that propel small businesses towards industrial symbiosis for a more responsible and resilient future.
Keywords: Industrial symbiosis; Small business; Socio-economic dimensions; Competitive advantage; Systematic literature review; PRISMA method; PICO framework