CIRCLE WASH

Transcript

Did you know that humans are naturally drawn to circular shapes? Psychologists have found that we associate roundness with warm, positive emotions. But circularity isn’t just about psychology—it’s a powerful way to rethink how we manage resources, including water and sanitation.

I'm Naomi from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney. In this video, my colleagues Avni, Jeremy, and I will introduce you to the 8Rs Framework—a tool designed to apply circular economy principles to water and sanitation.

Why should we care about the circular economy? For the water and sanitation sectors, circular economy principles can drive efficiency, resource recovery, and the regeneration of nature. They also directly contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals. By applying circular economy principles, we can align water and sanitation services with broader sustainability goals, ensuring both human and planetary health.

What is circular economy? At its core, circular economy is about systems change—decoupling economic growth from the consumption of finite resources. It's built on three key principles: eliminate waste and pollution; circulate products and materials at their highest value; and regenerate nature.

But these principles alone aren't enough. To realise the potential benefits of a circular economy in water and sanitation, we also need to consider safety, climate resilience, and social inclusion.

Where should we start? To drive meaningful change, we must first define the principles underpinning our ideal system. Our research identified 28 principles integrating circular economy, climate resilience, social inclusion, and safely managed water and sanitation. However, 28 principles are too complex for practical decision-making, so we created a mental shortcut to make them actionable—the 8Rs for Circular Water and Sanitation Systems.

The 8Rs framework is a thinking tool that supports locally led application of circular economy strategies in water and sanitation. You’re probably familiar with the classic "Rs" of sustainability—reduce, reuse, recycle. The 8Rs build on this idea, tailoring it for water and sanitation.

There are two groups: Practical R Strategies and Purpose & Process R Strategies.

Practical strategies align with circular economy principles: - Reduce or Refuse focuses on eliminating waste and pollution. - Reuse or Recover ensures materials are circulated at their highest value. - Restore and Regenerate helps regenerate nature.

Purpose and Process strategies address inclusion and climate resilience: - Rethink challenges assumptions about water and sanitation systems, creating space for more creative thinking. - Recognise acknowledges that circular practices aren’t new, building on local knowledge while ensuring safety. - Resilience prioritises climate considerations. - Redistribute addresses inequalities in resources and power. - Relational Approach keeps the connections between people and their environments central to decision-making.

The framework can be applied to ideate a range of locally relevant circular opportunities, investigate the technical, financial, and social feasibility of opportunities, plan and implement circular strategies, or evaluate and ensure continued alignment with sustainability goals.

The 8Rs framework has already been tested in Vietnam and Kiribati. In Vietnam, government officials and researchers used the 8Rs to assess and optimise household greywater reuse systems. In Kiribati, stakeholders applied the 8Rs to explore local plastic recycling solutions for sanitation products. These examples highlight how the framework can be adapted to different contexts, making circularity a reality in water and sanitation systems worldwide.

So, how might you apply the 8Rs Framework in your work? To learn more, please get in touch. Let’s transform water and sanitation systems together.