The goal of the Chicago Waste to Profit Network is to promote business collaboration to find new ways of transforming business waste into more profitable and innovative uses. Member companies in the network are helping to improve not only their business operations, but the quality of life in the Chicago area. The City of Chicago is bringing this program to Chicago area businesses through a partnership with the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (USBCSD) and the Chicago Manufacturing Center (CMC). The Chicago network also has a partnership with the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) in the United Kingdom.

There are 13,000 manufacturers in the diverse urban industrial Chicago region. Most of these businesses are smaller and midsize organizations. However, there are many global leaders in our region as well. Based on a synergy profile created by the Waste Management Resource Center (WMRC), it was determined that Chicago's particular mix of industries could work well together.

Where the USBCSD's approach took primary aim at facilitating synergies with larger companies, and the NISP approach looked to link the waste streams of smaller entities, an adapted approach was taken from both these programs to accommodate the unique landscape of the Chicago industrial environment. The result is a hybrid model that can bridge the gap between large and small to create inter-company synergies between all participants, regardless of size.

As part of the process in becoming the greenest city in the nation, the City of Chicago created the Chicago Waste to Profit Network to support the transformation of business in our region. Having adapted the concept of by-product synergy to the unique economic environment of metropolitan Chicago, the WTPN looks to reduce waste, increase profits and enhance efficiency for all involved.