Circular economy approach in the water and wastewater sector

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Marzena Smol
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Water And Wastewater

scholarly journals Economic Indicators in Water and Wastewater Sector Contributing to a Circular Economy (CE)

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Marzena Smol ◽  
Renata Koneczna
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Economic Indicators ◽  
Future Application ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Investment Financing ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Water And Wastewater

Protection and sustainable management of water was indicated as one of the strategic tasks in the process of transformation towards a circular economy (CE) in the European Union (EU), therefore, the water and wastewater sector plays an important role in this process. At the same time, the European Commission (EC) strongly underlined the importance of the possibility to assess the transformation process toward the CE, and developed a set of CE indicators that are available on the Eurostat website. However, these indicators have limited ability to assess the transformation progress in the water and wastewater sector. This paper presents a set of indicators for assessing the economic progress of transformation towards the CE in this sector. The proposed economic CE indicators were grouped into the following actions of the CE model in the water and wastewater sector: reduction, reclamation (removal), reuse, recycling, recovery and landfilling. The selection of specific indicators was based on a systematic review of the literature presenting economic indicators developed by international organisations and researchers (covering different thematic areas, scopes and potential applications). The selected economic CE indicators were assigned to three groups of the cash flow: income (revenues, expenses), costs, and investment financing. The proposed CE indicators can be used by water supply and sewage companies (i.e., supplying water to the public and wastewater treatment plants, and companies that use water in their production processes) to assess the level of the transformation toward the CE at a microeconomic level. An important aspect of future application and usage of the proposed set of CE economic indicators is the collection and processing of data needed for their reporting. The proposed set of CE economic indicators refers to information that are reported by the companies to prove its revenues, costs and investment outlays, and are collected by companies anyway. The proposed set of economic CE indicators is flexible, allowing the adaptation of indicators and areas of interest to maintain effectiveness throughout the transition period from linear to the CE model.

Sustainability and Justness for Transforming the Water Utility Companies' Business Models in the Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
pp. 195-215
Author(s):  
Ninel Ivanova Nesheva-Kiosseva
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Water Utility ◽  
Fair Treatment ◽  
Utility Companies ◽  
Water And Wastewater

The purpose of this chapter is to explore some of the problems of the transformation necessary to the business model of water and wastewater utility companies into a circular economy. This goal is accomplished by extending the understanding of the business model beyond the conventional understanding “within the framework of the corporation.” This expansion of the scope of the water and wastewater utility companies' business model is justified by the fact that water, the source of their business, is a vital natural capital, and along with its economic value, water is a recognized human right. The study elaborates on the part of the business model related to the issues of fair treatment of society in its relations with business. The authors also explore the issue of value creation for stakeholders not only within a business but also through cooperation between water businesses and stakeholders.

Development trends of circular economy: Case study of Ukraine

2017 ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Tamara Merkulova ◽  
Kateryna Kononova ◽  
Olena Titomir
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Development Trends

Transitioning Business for a Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan EVANS
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Operational Model ◽  
New Vision ◽  
To Come ◽  
Space Requirements

This case study explores the strategic business opportunities, for Lane Crawford, an iconic luxury department store, to transition in a circular economy towards sustainability. A new experimentation framework was developed and conducted among cross departmental employees, during a Design Lab, with intention to co-create novel Circular Economy business concepts towards a new vision: the later was a reframe of the old system based on the principles of sustainability; to move beyond a linear operational model towards a circular economy that can contribute to a regenerative society. This work draws on both academic and professional experience and was conducted through professional practice. It was found that innovative co-created concepts, output from the Design Lab, can create radical change in a circular economy that is holistically beneficial and financially viable; looking forward to extract greater value a)Internal organization requires remodeling to transform towards a circular economy; b)Requirement for more horizonal teams across departments vs solely vertical; c)New language and relationships are required to be able to transition towards a circular economy; d)Some form of physical and virtual space requirements, for cross-disciplinary teams to come together to co-create; e)Ability to iterate, learn and evolve requires agency across the business

European experience in transition to circular economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.V. Ratner
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
National Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
European Experience ◽  
General Scientific ◽  
The Eu

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.

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