The circular economy can often be misunderstood as simply recycling or managing waste. At the VicWater 2025 Annual Conference, Aurecon’s Jodie Bricout reframed it as something far bigger: a way to future-proof water businesses in a climate- and resource-constrained world.
Bricout contrasted the “depressing” logic of traditional sustainability, minimising impact, with the opportunity of circular economy to increase positive impact. This, she argued, means rethinking materials, assets, and processes to regenerate nature, extend asset life, and design waste out of systems before it enters.
“It’s not about being smaller,” she said. “It’s about having a bigger, more positive impact.”
She pointed to the Australian Circular Economy Framework, released in 2024, which sets three principles: design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials at their highest value, and regenerate natural systems. For water utilities, she added a missing element: keeping water itself in circulation at its highest value.
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The session blended insights with interactive table work. Delegates identified top opportunities, from scaling up recycled water use, currently less than 20 per cent nationally, to tackling biosolids and PFAS, exploring biochar and biogas, and reducing reliance on virgin construction materials. Barriers included regulation, access to land, capability gaps, risk appetite and “group think” within the sector.
Bricout noted that while pilots are increasingly common, scaling them into business-as-usual remains difficult without new risk-sharing models and stronger partnerships with the private sector.
Collaboration was a recurring theme. Participants called for a sector-wide footprint of material and product use, stronger R&D investment, and shared goals that link circular practices to emissions reduction, asset resilience and customer value. Indigenous knowledge was also highlighted as a natural systems-thinking model that can guide co-benefits for communities and Country.
Bricout closed by reminding delegates that water corporations, anchored in place and asset-rich, are uniquely positioned to lead circular precincts.
“You’ve got water, energy and materials flowing through you. You are the ideal partners for system change,” she said.