Business Opportunities in the Water and Wastewater Sector Through the ReSOLVE Framework

Circular economy (CE) is a regenerative system where the value of resources is maintained in the economy and the production of waste is minimised. It refers to the whole value chain of a key resource that is used in the economy for both municipal and industrial applications, such as water. Given that water is a key resource, it should be managed in the most circular manner, especially in regions of water scarcity. Sustainable and circular water management are critical tasks for the water and wastewater sector, given their prominent role in assigning economic value to water. Therefore, there is a strong need to further implementation of business opportunities in this sector to maximise the use of water potential, as well as to accelerate the transformation process towards a CE model. This paper presents an overview of the CE business opportunities for different actor’s bodies in the water and wastewater sector. Examples of good practices were divided into six action areas for businesses and countries; transforming from a linear to a CE model using the Regenerate, Share, Optimise, Loop, Virtualise and Exchange (ReSOLVE) framework. There are several possibilities for CE implementation in the analysed sector, including recovering renewable energy and nutrients from waste generated in water and wastewater treatment plants; providing water supply systems in cities and rural areas; optimising the amount of energy, minerals and chemicals in water systems operations; reusing water for agricultural and industrial purposes; adding digitisation operations in water treatment stations and wastewater treatment plants; and/or replacing industrial devices with more energy-saving options. The proposed solutions should contribute to creating a balance between economic, social and environmental dimensions that are the bases of sustainable solutions.