Beyond One‐Size‐Fits‐All: A Configurational Typology of Symbiosis Circular Innovation Industrial Ecosystems

This study advances understanding of industrial symbiosis (IS) by developing a configurational typology of circular ecosystems based on resource-flow patterns. Drawing on data from 68 documented IS ecosystems across 48 countries, the paper applies cluster analysis to five flow-intensity dimensions—material, energy, water, logistics, and knowledge—to identify archetypal configurations. Four stable configurations emerged: low-flow, material-dominant, energy–knowledge, and water-oriented systems.Multinomial logistic regression indicates that sectoral composition and regional context significantly predict configuration membership, while performance analyses confirm that coordinated, contextually aligned ecosystems achieve superior environmental outcomes. Energy–knowledge and water-oriented configurations exhibit strong ecological performance, whereas material-dominant ecosystems show efficiency gains under heavy-industry conditions. Cox’s survival analysis further shows that balanced, coordinated systems achieve greater resilience and longevity. Robustness checks across alternative clustering methods, operationalisations, and sub-samples confirm the stability of these patterns. Results are directionally stable; magnitudes vary slightly across specifications. By applying configurational theory to IS, this paper demonstrates that circular, innovation-oriented ecosystem effectiveness depends on the fit between internal flow structures and contextual environments, thereby moving beyond universal models and offering an empirically grounded framework for policy and design in circular-economy practice and sustainable development.