Skip to main content
2 people and water pump
Circle WASH logo

Circular economy approaches can strengthen water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services while driving climate resilience, inclusion and wider sustainability. CIRCLE WASH is a two-year research project contributing new thinking and case study insights about the potential of circular economy ideas for WASH service systems.

Aims

  • Identify how WASH systems and services can draw on circular economy approaches to achieve inclusion and climate resilience.
  • Inform sector narratives about circular economy - emphasising system-wide perspectives, diverse circular options, progressive realisation, inclusion and climate resilience.
  • Bridge new thinking (conceptual developments) with practical realities (case study insights).
  • Inspire ideas, collaboration and action. Generate shared visions and coproduce knowledge about circular economy-informed pathways to realise inclusive, climate resilient WASH.

Activities

CIRCLE WASH has three research phases: concepts, case studies and pathways.

The concepts phase integrates ideas from circular economy, climate resilience and social inclusion – developing a conceptually rigorous and practically relevant frame to explore circular WASH opportunities. Timing: 2023.

Case studies in Vietnam (Ha Tinh Province) and Kiribati (Line Islands Group) will bring WASH and related stakeholders together to identify and assess a range of circular WASH opportunities for rural and urban contexts. Timing: 2023-2024

Collaborative visioning and knowledge co-production with institutions in case study contexts will articulate pathways to preferred futures. Timing: 2024.

All activities are underpinned by a transdisciplinary research approach prioritising collaboration and valuing diverse knowledge types.
 

Researchers

  • Research Director
  • Senior Research Consultant
  • Research Principal
  • Professor and Research Director
  • Program Lead - Resource Stewardship
  • Dinh Van Dao
    Researcher, Institute of Water Resource Economics and Management
  • Dang Ngoc Hanh
    Researcher, Institute of Water Resource Economics and Management
  • Vu Thi Mai Hien
    Researcher, Institute of Water Resource Economics and Management
  • Headshot of Avidandan Taron
    Avidandan Taron
    Researcher, International Water Management Institute

Year

  • 2023-2024

Client

  • GHD - DFAT Water for Women Fund

Partner

  • Institute for Water Resource Economics and Management (IWM)
  • UNICEF
  • International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

SDGs  

Icon for SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation
Icon for SDG 13 Climate action

This project is working towards UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 13. 

Read about ISF's SDG work

Contact us

t: +61 2 9514 4950
e: isf@uts.edu.au

Level 10, UTS Building 10
235 Jones Street
Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
Directions

Contact us for media requests and other enquiries

Subscribe to newsletter