The UK Water Partnership has today published a series of recommendations, in collaboration with leading multi-disciplinary professional services consultancy WSP, for unlocking system-level change for the transition to a circular water economy.
There is increased demand for the water sector to set and deliver against robust sustainability objectives and the Circular Economy provides the framework within which these can be delivered. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, ISO59020, PAS2080, and the Global Reporting Initiative contribute to the ecosystem of metrics against which these objectives can be achieved and measured.
The whitepaper responds to this demand by introducing the key role that a circular economy can play in protecting nature by minimising waste and resource consumption while simultaneously regenerating natural systems.
It provides recommendations to the sector and highlights the opportunities and challenges to bringing other aspects of the circular economy to life through the absence of enabling Policy, Regulatory and Commercial frameworks. The whitepaper stresses the importance of collaboration between different stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, and commercial entities, to achieve this vision.
Dr. Tom Arnot, Co-lead of the UKWP Circular Water programme at The UK Water Partnership, said: “We are very excited to launch this whitepaper in the conclusion of phase one, but importantly we are also delighted to announce the second phase of this very important programme. We look forward to working with John Abraham and colleagues at Veolia, as well as other partners in consultancies, water supply chain, academia, and in policy and regulation, to drive the Circular Economy in Water forward.”
David Tompkins, Associate Director for Water Advisory at WSP, said: “The transition to a circular economy is no longer an option but a necessity. Our whitepaper not only outlines the challenges and opportunities within the water sector but also sets out a long-term vision for systemic change. This vision is critical for inspiring action and ensuring the sustainability of our water resources for future generations.”
The launch of this whitepaper concludes the first phase of the UK Water Partnership’s strategic Circular Economy programme, developed in collaboration with David Tompkins and the team at WSP, alongside a broad coalition of stakeholders across the water sector.
Phase two of the Circular Economy programme will now focus on key areas including wastewater systems, biosolids and bioresources, chemicals in water systems, and local-scale circular economy solutions.
We are committed to developing practical case studies and pilot trials that demonstrate what can be achieved, while also working with the Government to reshape policy and regulatory frameworks to unlock the significant, as-yet unrealised potential of circular economy approaches in water systems.
Regenerative aspects of the urban water cycle are already being delivered in the UK through catchment-based approaches and blue-green infrastructure, but the lack of alignment across different sectors and policy objectives and language means that these are not yet considered circular drivers or metrics.
The long-term vision for a circular water economy and the systemic change required to achieve it is critical for the future of the sector and society.
You can access the full whitepaper here.
