BUSINESS TO BUSINESS NETWORKS IN THE WASTE RECYCLING INDUSTRY

The high living standards achieved by 500 Million people in the European Union generates up to 3 Billion tonnes of waste every year and require innovative forms of recycling. This study aims to analyze the “Sewage and refuse disposal and sanitation” industry (Waste) as a producer of services able to break down its negative externalities and transform them into an asset flow for competitive advantage. By adopting the Eurostat Input- Output (I-O) table database and applying the Natural Resource Based View (NRBV) as conceptual lens, the top-12 “valuable” ITCs have been made clear for EU-27 countries (2000-2007). Furthermore, by using the Ghosh I-O model, both direct and indirect (hidden) forward linkages have been enlightened. Finally, the Lorenz curve and the Gini indices have highlighted the concentration and rarity of the Intermediate Trade Contacts (ITC). Results here obtained allow public and private decision makers to increase their own awareness about the hidden potentials of specific Waste intermediate markets, identifying new markets and potential partners, managing their intermediate market-portfolio and setting-up strategic partnerships for both product and process innovation purposes.