a new approach to production that entails redesigning and zoning industrial processes in order to recover or eliminate waste, thereby increasing profitability and competitiveness while reducing environmental problems

involves actions taken to reduce the industrial system's impact on the environment; in particular creating a closed industrial system, analogous to a natural ecosystem, where waste from one industry can be used as input for another

For instance, putting the Marmite factory next to the brewery. That is, trying to set up systems that allow the 'waste' of one process to fuel another, while minimising transport needs. In other words, it involves thinking beyond your product or business and considering the system in which it operates - it's essentially about systems thinking for sustainability, including macrosystems.

a localised, regional network of partnered organisations benefiting from an exchange of resources, information and/or expertise.

Uses the metaphor of metabolism to analyze production and consumption by industry, government, organizations and consumers, and the interactions between them. It involves tracking energy and material flows through industrial systems, e.g. a plant, region, or national or global economy.