On 9-10 March, POWERSTEP partner Arctik participated in the Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference, Circular Economy: one year after adoption, working together for the future, co-organised by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.

The two-day conference took stock of the progress achieved so far regarding the key deliverables of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and discussed future actions with stakeholders in plenary and workshop sessions. The event culminated in the formal launch of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, whose aim will be to facilitate stakeholder consultation and exchange of best practices.

The conference underlined that the circular economy presents a triple win – economic, social and environmental – for Europe, but that stakeholder dialogue and real action will be imperative to move forward with the transition.

One of the key areas where further action will be needed is water reuse – a topic of one of the parallel sessions of the conference. Speaking at the session, Bettina Doeser from the European Commission’s DG Environment highlighted the untapped potential for water reuse. The session called for a more comprehensive outlook on water reuse, which is not only effective in addressing water scarcity, but has an important potential for energy and nutrient recovery. In addition, the speakers highlighted the role of innovation in boosting circular water management and stressed the importance of demonstration activities in proving the feasibility of new technologies.

The H2020 project POWERSTEP is one such demonstration activity which is pushing innovative technologies on the market and thus changing the nature of wastewater treatment. By converting wastewater treatment plants into power production facilities, POWERSTEP is helping both small and large cities across Europe to pioneer and apply the circular economy concept at city scale.

Cities have a chance to reinvent themselves as they can play a key role in putting the circular economy into motion by working closely with entrepreneurs and citizens, Guido Braam from Circular Valley pointed out when speaking at the conference. ‘The European Union is a sleeping giant that can wake up city by city with the circular paradigm in mind’, Braam said as he concluded his speech.

With over 600 attendees, the conference saw a great deal of fruitful discussion and debate. The outcome and main conclusions will contribute to a report outlining expectations and needs concerning the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform; this report will be released before the summer.

Learn more about the urban resource factories being established at the six POWERSTEP demonstration sites across Europe at www.powerstep.eu!