New White Paper closes the loop on the circular water economy
The UK Water Partnership recently hosted a double-bill of circular economy events.
The two sessions were based around a new Water and Circular Economy White Paper, which was developed in conjunction with CE100, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Antea Group. It explores the relationship between the circular economy and sustainable water management (SWM), establishing a common language to enable effective communication between the two sectors.
Firstly, we convened a roundtable workshop with a broad range of clients and stakeholders from across the industry. Here, the White Paper was used as a basis to help develop a route map for the circular water economy, with specific reference to the three key circular economy principles:
- Design out waste externalities
- Keep resources in use
- Regenerate natural capital
The group discussed the barriers, enablers and challenges around circular economy initiatives.
The roundtable workshop was followed by a technology showcase event and drinks reception in the evening. The Wet Networks event titled ‘Closing the Loop’ focused on circular economy solutions in the water sector. The keynote was delivered by lead author of the White Paper, Siraj Tahir, to an audience of over 100 industry stakeholders across the globe.
The next steps for this initiative may include:
- Workshop report and dissemination
- Future roundtables
- 2020 Circular Water Economy Seminar
- Production of a routemap for the UK circular water economy
