Exploring How Circular Economy Approaches Can Drive Inclusive, Climate-Resilient WASH (Circle WASH)

The University of Technology Sydney - Institute for Sustainable Futures

Climate Resilience Research (WRA-CR04)

Research theme: Circular economy approaches for climate-resilient, inclusive WASH

Research focus: Deepening an understanding of the application of circular economy and system resilience approaches in shaping climate-resilient, inclusive WASH.

Locations: Line Islands, Kiribati, and Ha Tinh province, Vietnam 

Partners: University of Technology Sydney - Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF), Institute for Water Resources Economics and Management, UNICEF Pacific, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

This project sought to understand how WASH systems and services can draw on circular economy approaches to achieve inclusion and climate resilience.

This included determining:

1. How can we integrate concepts from circular economy, climate resilience and inclusive WASH to inform planning for and implementation of climate resilient, inclusive WASH service systems and wider societal resilience?
2. How might these concepts be applied to WASH service systems in Vietnam (Ha Tinh province) and Kiribati (Line Islands) to identify and assess contextually appropriate opportunities associated with circular approaches to WASH service delivery?
3. How can collaborative visioning and knowledge co-production methods support institutions in case study contexts to capitalise on circular economy opportunities to drive climate resilient, inclusive WASH systems and services?

Knowledge products

• Publication: ‘8Rs for circular water and sanitation systems: Leveraging circular economy thinking for safe, resilient and inclusive services
• Policy brief: Applying Circular Economy to Rural Water and Sanitation, opportunities for Vietnam

What we did

We conducted case studies in Vietnam (Ha Tinh Province) and Kiribati (Line Islands Group), bringing WASH and related stakeholders together to identify and assess a range of circular WASH opportunities for rural and urban contexts. We then collaborated with local institutions to co-produce knowledge on pathways to preferred futures.

We integrated circularity, climate resilience, inclusion and safely managed WASH into one conceptual framework, a key achievement in a field where inclusion and resilience have not been given due focus. This included creation of a ‘thinking tool’ (rather than prescriptive guidelines) designed to enable and support ideation and implementation of locally led circular WASH initiatives based on principles of circularity, inclusion and resilience.

What we found

Overall, the project significantly influenced how WASH actors think about and engage with circular economy ideas:

“Narrow perspectives on circularity were challenged to move from a focus on faecal sludge reuse to positioning circular economy as about systems change underpinned by core principles of reducing waste, recirculating materials and regenerating nature.” 

In Kiritimati, circular economy approaches are especially relevant because of the need to be self-sufficient due to geographic remoteness and sensitivity to supply-chain disruptions and economic fluctuations. Unlike many other countries where productive reuse of wastewater and faecal sludge is frowned upon, we found people living on the island were receptive to the idea of using resources efficiently and willing to adapt to sanitation systems to do so. We also found that Kiritimati has the capacity for local manufacturing that could reduce dependence on costly imported goods.

At national workshops in Vietnam, water sector officials and researchers attending were impacted by division of the 8Rs, described in the conceptual framework, into two groups: practical Rs and process/purpose Rs. This made concept more accessible for people working in the water sector. The division incorporation of socio-economic aspects also made it highly suitable for the rural developing context.

"The concepts of recovery and regeneration were particularly striking because they directly relate to current challenges in the country’s water and sanitation sector."

– Dinh Van Dao, Senior Researcher – IWEM

This research was a breakthrough foundation for all other research relating to circular economy in Agriculture and Rural Development in Vietnam. NGOs have suggested that the 8Rs framework should be incorporated into post-typhoon recovery plans.

Seminar participants developing a vision for circular rural communities (UTS-ISF)

Research Uptake

Despite expected (and unexpected) issues with gaining access to Kiritimati, we were able to identify grounded ideas of circular economy options to sanitation that could be realized through future investments. These ideas provide a basis for partners like UNICEF to consider in their future programming, and the project affirmed the support and interest of the Government of Kiribati to pursue circular economy ideas.

The research has been highly influential for our Vietnam partner IWEM we co-developed the outputs with. The decision to incorporate an inclusion-oriented component in the co-developed framework has provided justification to make inclusion a focus of discussions about circular, resilient WASH for both IWEM as research partner and when meeting government stakeholders, particularly technical officials, where introducing GEDSI would otherwise have been difficult given both technical orientation and formal structure of engagement.

The research has been influential at the provincial level in Ha Tinh, where our study of the effectiveness of household greywater treatment and reuse systems is highly relevant to provincial policy and planning. The team was invited to present initial findings at the Ha Tinh Provincial People’s Committee Seminar on Green Transformation and Green Growth. This invitation demonstrates high level political and administrative interest in the research, with officials noting its relevance for progressing New Rural Development Target program ambitions.

Broader WASH sector contributions

UNICEF (beyond UNICEF Pacific as collaborator) commissioned a learning brief based on the CIRCLE WASH framework, including the distinction between climate resilience and circular economy, translating our Water for Women project insights into practical guidance for UNICEF teams across East Asia and Pacific.

The project also enabled collaboration with the World Bank Water in Circular Economy and Resilience (WICER) team. Our project team are reviewing their technical note on circularity and climate resilience in urban sanitation, bringing insights from our project. This collaboration forms a nascent community of practice on practical methods for leveraging circular economy principles in pursuit of inclusive, climate resilient WASH.

Where to from here?

There is significant potential to build on this work and extend application of circular economy principles in WASH. We need to expand capacity building programs to enhance participants' understanding of the 8R protocol, which could be further adapted for specific research fields in water sectors and other rural sectors. This includes further collation and documentation of examples of circularity applied to water and sanitation in Asia and Pacific countries identifying the process, strengths and outcomes, extending learning from the project through an online course and aiming for wider uptake and use of the project’s conceptual framework, for example with civil society organisations or service providers, with associated action research. This would enable refinement and development of further guidance supporting wider use. We will also draw on insights from the project’s ‘pathways’ phase to design tailored futures processes that can be used with diverse groups to explore possible ‘circular futures’ that support climate-resilient inclusive WASH.

Where we started

"Through this research, we have the opportunity to apply conceptual thinking around the circular economy to real world WASH contexts. Circular economy ideas have captured our collective imagination and are increasingly reflected in policies and plans. Through this research we want to ensure WASH sector responses make the most of opportunities presented — achieving universal, sustainable services that drive climate resilience and inclusion.”

Naomi Carrard, Research Director, University of Technology Sydney - Institute for Sustainable Futures 

Research Description

Led by UTS-ISF, this research project focuses on integrating circular economy principles and practices into the WASH sector to enhance climate resilience and inclusivity. It addresses the need for better integration of practice across WASH and related sectors, recognising the potential of circular economy approaches to identify and operationalise linkages.

Working in partnership with the IWMI, the Institute for Water Resources Economics and Management, and UNICEF Pacific, the research adopts a transdisciplinary approach, incorporating diverse knowledge systems to address the complex, dynamic nature of WASH services as social-ecological systems (SES). It recognises the importance of SES resilience in maintaining essential water and sanitation services by absorbing climate hazards and reorganising components to accommodate the impacts. By considering the unpredictable nature of social-environmental interactions and dealing with uncertainty, SES resilience principles offer a novel approach to building climate resilience in the WASH sector.

The research project has three objectives:

1. To strengthen climate-resilient, inclusive, safely managed WASH services by integrating circular economy principles and practices in WASH institutions and service delivery approaches.
2. To identify potential benefits and synergies where circular approaches strengthen the climate resilience and inclusivity of WASH services.
3. To assess potential trade-offs and perverse outcomes.

The significance of this research lies in its contribution to addressing the climate resilience challenges faced by the WASH sector. The impacts of climate change, including intensified climate hazards, increased uncertainty, and deepened vulnerabilities, affect the provision of WASH services and exacerbate existing inequalities.

The research focuses on specific climate vulnerabilities in Kiribati and Vietnam. In Kiribati, heatwaves, droughts, cyclones, saline intrusion, wave-driven flooding, and permanent inundation pose risks, exacerbated by geographic isolation and dependence on international aid. Limited rainfall and sea-level rise impact water availability, and wave-driven flooding threatens freshwater supply. In Vietnam, rising sea levels, saline intrusion, heat stress, and water resource pressure affect coastal and low-lying regions, particularly vulnerable populations reliant on natural resources. Droughts impact drinking water availability, while flooding threatens water quality, safety and accessibility.

By exploring innovative approaches and incorporating climate resilience explicitly into the identification and assessment of circular options, the research aims to enhance the resilience of WASH systems and services and contribute to wider societal resilience.

The research outcomes are being utilised by WASH sector organisations to critically engage with circular economy approaches and strengthen WASH services planning for inclusion and climate resilience. Research outcomes are informing ongoing decision-making and guiding future WASH investments by articulating the foundational role of WASH in building climate resilience.

In Kiribati, research findings are supporting efforts to strengthen WASH services for rapidly growing, climate vulnerable urban areas, and in Vietnam, to progress the national circular economy and rural WASH policies. Findings will also inform global sector innovation for resilient, inclusive WASH services and systems.

Identified points of complementarity and intersection with related initiatives, such as water reuse, recycling and solid waste management at country and international levels, are also enabling knowledge sharing and potential collaboration.

Pathways to impact

1. Transdisciplinary approach: incorporating diverse knowledge systems to address a real-world problem.
2. Circular economy concepts: offering new opportunities and complementing existing efforts for climate-resilient inclusive WASH, while also identifying strategies to support comprehensive sustainability in other areas such as waste, water, energy and resources.
3. Futures thinking approach: fostering a paradigm shift in institutional mindsets that contributes to sustainability.
4. Cross-sectoral linkages: facilitating collaboration at both the country and local levels, promoting practical application of new framings, technologies, and institutional reforms for enhancing efficiency in the WASH sector.
5. Social-ecological systems principles: applying SES resilience principles to WASH as a novel approach that considers nature-society interactions and uncertainty, addressing weaknesses in traditional resilience-building approaches.

“This research is timely for Vietnam. We have a national directive supporting circular economy across all sectors, and now is the chance to operationalise the policy in ways that strengthen the sustainability of rural WASH and our resilience to climate change.”

Dinh Van Dao, Vice Director, Institute for Water Resources Economics and Management 

Feature photo: A community money box positioned near a community water ATM enables voluntary contributions from community members while collecting water from the water ATM. This money is used for the cost of electricity to run the water treatment machine, as a small cost recovery concept (Institute for Water Resources Economics and Management / Dinh Van Dao)