Organization

DSS SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS SWITZERLAND SA

Swiss sustainability SME working on industrial symbiosis, agri-food value chains, and equipment lifecycle extension across EU research consortia.

Technology SMEenergyCHSMEThin data (2/5)

H2020 projects

As coordinator

Total EC funding

€1.1M

Unique partners

What they do

Their core work

DSS Sustainable Solutions is a Swiss SME focused on sustainability consulting and implementation across industrial value chains. They work on extending equipment lifetimes through digital manufacturing approaches, optimizing energy use in industrial parks through waste heat recovery and industrial symbiosis, and improving fairness in agri-food supply chains. Their cross-sector involvement suggests they act as a sustainability strategy and dissemination partner, helping translate technical project results into market-facing communication and stakeholder engagement.

Core expertise

What they specialise in

Industrial symbiosis and energy efficiencyprimary

2 projects

INCUBIS focused on waste heat recovery in eco-industrial parks; BELT addressed energy label uptake among consumers and procurement personnel.

Sustainable agri-food value chainssecondary

1 project

FAIRCHAIN tackled fairer dairy and fruit/vegetable supply chains, their largest funded project at EUR 480,349.

Remanufacturing and equipment lifecycle extensionsecondary

1 project

LEVEL-UP addressed refurbishment, cognitive manufacturing, and digital twin approaches for extending large equipment lifetimes.

Communication and dissemination for sustainabilitysecondary

2 projects

BELT was a CSA focused on consumer and retailer communication; their CSA involvement suggests dissemination expertise across projects.

Evolution & trajectory

How they've shifted over time

Early focus

Digital manufacturing and sustainability communication

Recent focus

Industrial symbiosis and agri-food chains

DSS entered H2020 in 2019 with a dual focus: sustainability communication (BELT, energy labelling) and digital manufacturing for equipment lifetime extension (LEVEL-UP). By 2020, their work shifted toward industrial ecology — waste heat recovery, industrial symbiosis in eco-industrial parks — and agri-food fairness through FAIRCHAIN. The trajectory shows a move from communication-oriented support roles toward deeper involvement in circular economy and resource efficiency projects.

DSS is moving toward circular economy and resource efficiency in industrial and food systems, making them a relevant partner for projects combining sustainability strategy with sector-specific implementation.

Collaboration profile

How they like to work

Role: specialist_contributorReach: European19 countries collaborated

DSS has never coordinated an H2020 project — they consistently join as a participant or third party, suggesting a supporting or specialist contributor role rather than a project leader. With 90 unique partners across 19 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in large consortia (averaging 22+ partners per project). This broad but non-leading profile is typical of a consultancy that brings cross-cutting sustainability or dissemination expertise to diverse teams.

Despite only 4 projects, DSS has built a wide network of 90 partners across 19 countries, reflecting participation in large Innovation Action and CSA consortia. Their reach spans most of the EU, with no obvious geographic concentration beyond their Swiss base.

Why partner with them

What sets them apart

DSS stands out as a Swiss sustainability SME that bridges multiple sectors — energy, food, and manufacturing — through a common thread of resource efficiency and circular economy thinking. Their combination of dissemination expertise (CSA projects) with technical implementation projects (Innovation Actions) means they can both execute and communicate. For consortium builders, they offer a rare profile: a private company comfortable working across sectors on sustainability strategy rather than narrow technical delivery.

Notable projects

Highlights from their portfolio

FAIRCHAIN
Their largest funded project (EUR 480,349), addressing fairness in dairy and fruit/vegetable value chains — a growing policy priority in EU food systems.
INCUBIS
Industrial symbiosis incubator for eco-industrial parks, combining waste heat recovery with energy services — directly applicable to industrial decarbonization.
LEVEL-UP
Combines digital twin, cognitive manufacturing, and remanufacturing concepts for extending the lifetime of large industrial equipment.

Cross-sector capabilities

Food & agriculture value chain sustainabilityDigital manufacturing and equipment lifecycleCommunication and dissemination strategyCircular economy and industrial ecology

Analysis note: With only 4 projects (2019-2020 start dates), no coordination roles, and no website available for verification, this profile is based on limited evidence. The organization's exact internal capabilities versus its role as a consortium partner are difficult to distinguish. The cross-sector spread could indicate genuine versatility or simply opportunistic consortium participation. No independent verification of their core business was possible without a website.