A free framework for a sustainable world
Symbiosis in Development (SiD) is an open-source framework that helps organizations, cities, and industries develop truly sustainable solutions. Since 2001, SiD has been applied to over 500 projects worldwide -- guiding interdisciplinary teams through systems thinking, lifecycle analysis, and integrated design to create lasting positive impact.
SiD is free. All content on this site, and the framework itself, is released under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license. Anyone can use, adapt, and share SiD. Download the quickguide, take a course, or dive into the full documentation.
Who maintains SiD
SiD is maintained by the Except Integrated Sustainability Foundation, a registered non-profit in the Netherlands. The foundation ensures SiD remains free, open, and continuously improved.
SiD was created by Tom Bosschaert, a sustainability strategist, designer, and founder of Except Integrated Sustainability (1999). Trained as an industrial design engineer (TU Delft) and architect & urban planner (Yale), Tom developed SiD after finding existing methods too narrow to address the full complexity of sustainability.
Over two decades, the framework has been shaped by dozens of practitioners within Except and a growing global community of partners.
What your support makes possible
SiD is sustained by people who believe sustainability knowledge should be freely available. Your donation directly funds:
- Expanding and translating the documentation
- Developing new tools and training materials
- Keeping the framework open and accessible to all
Every contribution, however small, helps keep this knowledge free for practitioners, students, governments, and organizations worldwide.
Contact
Except Integrated Sustainability Foundation
2e Daalsedijk 6a
3551 EJ Utrecht
the Netherlands