SMART-Plant_MEASURING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF WATER SECTOR IN THE THREE-FOLD LINKAGE OF WATER, ENERGY AND MATERIALS

5th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management

Abstract
Circular economy is gaining increased attention over the conventional “make-use-dispose” model. Researchers, industries and institutions recognise circular economy as an approach to increase the economic growth in a sustainable way. Fundamental principles of circular economy strategies focus on reduce, reuse and recycle in order to close the loops of materials and energy flows and eliminate waste. However, there is still lack of appropriate tools and indicators measuring the circular economy performance of a system. The application of circular economy to water sector changes fundamentally the perception of the water supply chains – water is seen as medium of valuable resources, while water infrastructures are considered as a part of an inter-sectoral value chain system, enabling to revamp existing water systems in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. This paper explores the application of circular economy principles to the water sector in the key interlinked pathways of water energy and materials. Furthermore, it analyses the main environmental and sustainability methodologies and indexes and their suitability for evaluation of the circular economy performance of the water systems.