Turning waste into value requires more than technology
Across Europe, something fundamental is changing in the way we think about wastewater and organic waste. Utilities are rethinking the role of wastewater infrastructure. New technologies are moving towards commercial deployment. Demand for renewable resources is growing. Regulation is evolving. And new value chains are emerging between water, agriculture, energy and bio-based industries.
Could we be approaching the point where the circular bioeconomy moves from ambition and individual innovation to implementation at scale?
To explore that question, we asked three European utility leaders joining us at the WEX Global Bioeconomy Summit in Lisbon, 2–4 November, to share their perspectives on what is changing, where the opportunities lie and what still needs to happen.
Nuno Brôco
Chairman and CEO
Águas de Portugal VALOR, S.A.
Portugal
Arnt Baer
Managing Director
Gelsenwasser Stadtwerkedienstleistungs
Germany
Ramón González Tévar
Director of Operations
Aljarafesa
Spain
Their experiences demonstrate both the scale of the opportunity and the complexity of the transition ahead.
Because recovering resources is only part of the equation.
The next challenge is creating the infrastructure, partnerships, regulation and markets that allow those resources to become part of a functioning circular economy.
That is why WEX-BIO is bringing together utilities with technology providers, engineering companies, policymakers, researchers, agriculture, investors and bio-based industries.
Not simply to discuss what might be possible, but to explore what is needed to make it happen at scale.
Be part of that conversation in Lisbon.
Read their perspectives, explore the programme and international speaker community, and discover how your organisation can participate.
