The importance of being consistent: Circularity policy aims in the European wastewater sector

The challenge of governing transitions towards circular economy cuts across different levels and sectors. However, existing literature has had scarce attention to the multi-level and multi-sectoral nature of circular economy governance. This article investigates these topics through a multiple case study of a little studied sector in the literature on the governance of circular economy: wastewater. The article analyses the consistency of public policy aims between different levels (European Union [EU], national and local), and sectors (such as agriculture and wastewater) in three cases: (1) wastewater reuse for irrigation of urban greeneries in Czechia, (2) nutrient recovery from wastewater for fertilizer production in Norway, and (3) resource recovery from wastewater for use in building and construction sector in the Netherlands. Through the analysis of policy documents, the article illustrates the importance of consistent policy aims for the governance of circular economy. The article shows that inconsistent policy aims (a) between governance levels, especially between EU and national levels, and (b) across sectors, such as wastewater and agriculture, complicates the uptake of circular economy solutions. However, the article also demonstrates that policy consistency alone is not sufficient for accelerating the transitions towards circular economy.