In today's rapidly changing and evolving world, industrial symbiosis acts as an important strategy for the development of any organisation. Industrial symbiosis helps different organisations to pool their resources, discuss their problems, their merits-demerits and also to share their profit. This study was conducted with the objective of understanding the key parameters to enhance the organisational performance in an industrial symbiotic setup. This study collected information from the sugar mill industry, and paper mill and cement industries in Tamil Nadu, India. Decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to visualise the impact of different attributes on the company. On the basis of DEMATEL approach solid waste management was identified as a critical area and the organisations need to focus on solid waste management to improve the efficiency in terms of eco-innovation and industrial symbiosis. © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.