Roadmap to addressing governance and societal challenges to support wider uptake of circular solutions in the water sector

“The EU H2020-project NextGen demonstrates innovative technological, business and governance solutions for water in the Circular Economy (CE). This deliverable addresses the governance and societal challenges and presents a roadmap to support wider uptake of circular solutions in the water sector.
Applying CE principles to the water sector requires a holistic vision and an integrated approach. Technological, economic, socio-cultural and regulatory conditions determine the shift from a linear to a circular water economy. At the ten NextGen demo cases, 12 key drivers, 20 key barriers and 20 key support measures to the upscaling of solutions have been identified. The main driver identified is Responding to environmental challenges, and the main barrier is Lack of clear policy for resource recovery. Representatives of the demo cases disclosed 20 support instruments that will enable the uptake of their circular water technology.”

(Citation: Frijns, J.A.G., Smith, H. – NextGen – Roadmap to addressing governance and societal challenges to support wider uptake of circular solutions in the water sector – D4.4 (2023))