Water Circularity in the Industry (Water4All - MAINSTREAM)

The Water4All MAINSTREAM project aims to promote water circulation in industry and facilitate the reuse of industrial wastewater. At its heart lies a combination of technological innovations, sustainable wastewater treatment, digital data management and supportive governance structures.

The project is being carried out by a European consortium of research institutions, universities and technology partners. The technological focus is on the development, testing and validation of sensor systems for improved real-time monitoring of pollutants in industrial wastewater. In addition, innovative treatment processes are being tested, digital applications for data analysis are being developed and practical cases in selected industrial sectors are being examined.

Within the project, the Öko-Institut is responsible for analysing governance systems for industrial water recycling. The research examines how existing laws, strategies, standards and institutional structures influence the introduction of technologies and processes for water reuse and wastewater treatment. The focus is on the agricultural and food sectors, the pharmaceutical industry and the chemical industry. The project team is analysing which regulatory, institutional, organisational and economic factors promote or hinder water recycling, and how these framework conditions affect the application of the technologies developed in the project.

To this end, the Öko-Institut is evaluating existing regulatory frameworks, including at EU level, producing three case studies on Germany, Italy and Spain, analysing international best-practice examples, and conducting interviews and workshops with experts from politics, business, academia and civil society. On this basis, recommendations will be developed for policy-makers and businesses to support the implementation of water recycling in industry.