Highlights from the Water Projects Europe event held on December 3

Last Wednesday, 3 December 2025, the RESURGENCE project took centre stage in Brussels at the Water Projects Europe side event, held during the Water Knowledge Europe 2025 Winter Edition.

Organised by Water Europe, the session titled “Circularity in Industrial Water“ brought together leading innovators, policymakers, and industry experts to address a critical reality: in Europe’s journey towards a climate-neutral industrial future, water is no longer just an environmental compliance topic – it is a driver of financial performance and strategic security.

RESURGENCE was proud to showcase its progress in testing and demonstrating advanced solutions for industrial water reuse. Our Project Coordinator,  Xuefei Yang from CETIM, presented the project’s latest developments, highlighting how RESURGENCE is working to turn water management into a competitive advantage for the process industry. Participating in the high-level panel discussion, our Coordinator emphasised that RESURGENCE allows industries to work together, collaborate and share experiences.

Adding a practical perspective to the discussion, Dilara Bakan from Organik Kimya presented Case Study 2 (CS2), focusing on the specific needs and solutions for the Chemical Industry. She shared insights on how Organik Kimya is implementing circular strategies to reduce water footprint and enhance operational efficiency.

The event served as a powerful platform for collaboration, featuring RESURGENCE alongside sister projects CORNERSTONE and R3VOLUTION. Together, these projects represent the cutting edge of industrial water reuse and resource recovery. The session also featured insights from the successfully completed iWAYS project, which served as a mature example of water and heat recovery, and BOOST-IN, showcasing circular economy impacts.

Key Takeaways: Water is a Strategic Asset
The discussions in Brussels made one thing clear: A Water-Smart Europe is within reach and economically justified. The session produced seven critical takeaways that define the path forward for the RESURGENCE project and the wider sector:

1. Water is a Financial Issue: Water risks now translate directly into operational costs, production losses, and insurance exposure. Efficiency is a key driver of financial performance.

2. Integration is the Frontier: The largest returns come not from isolated technologies, but from combining solutions—such as digital process control with reuse, or heat recovery with circular feedstocks.

3. Demonstration Unlocks Capital: By proving technical and economic feasibility at scale, pilots like those in RESURGENCE make water-smart investments bankable and increase lender confidence.

4. Resilience = Security: Industries that depend on reliable water access are exposed to material risks. Our solutions are safeguards for value chains essential to Europe’s competitiveness.

5. Barriers Remain: Fragmented permitting and a lack of financial incentives for reuse are systemic barriers that require coordinated policy and targeted investment frameworks.

6. The Business Case is Clear: The technologies are mature and the pilots are successful. Water efficiency delivers measurable financial value alongside sustainability. The next step is scaling.

7. A Call to Policymakers: Water must be recognized as a financially material factor. It should be treated like energy efficiency—as a strategic investment that protects Europe’s economic future.