Abstract
WIDER UPTAKE, an innovation action funded by the EU, has pursued a holistic approach to water-smart solutions. The project has focussed on water-smart symbiotic circular economy solutions (SCES), defined as packages comprised of the partners and stakeholders that collaborate to implement the solution; the resources to be recovered and the technologies to accomplish this; the business models that give economic value in a circular economy value chain; and the products and their applications. Shifting towards SCES and away from extract-use-discharge models of water management will require the implementation of plant internal recycling solutions, increasing the efficiency of technical processes, and developing more complex external value chains. This requires more than technical solutions, and in this regard, policymakers have a crucial role. This policy brief is based on results from WIDER UPTAKE and offers policy recommendations for establishing and further promoting symbiotic circular economy solutions in the water sector.