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The Circularity Gap Report: Friesland is a joint initiative led by Circulair Friesland, the Province of Friesland, and Circle Economy to track Friesland’s progress toward a more circular economy while also serving as a model for other regions. As the organizations behind this dashboard, we aim to provide structured indicators to measure key aspects of circularity—such as resource efficiency, waste reduction, and circular jobs—alongside on-the-ground case studies that highlight innovative local initiatives. This approach helps policymakers, businesses, and communities assess progress, address challenges, and accelerate Friesland’s transition to a circular economy. In doing so, Friesland is working toward meeting the national goal of reducing primary resource use by 50% by 2030 and achieving a fully circular economy in the Netherlands by 2050.

Beyond Friesland, this dashboard is designed as a replicable tool that can be implemented in other regions worldwide. By fostering comprehensive comparisons, it enables knowledge sharing and collaboration, allowing regions to learn from one another and scale successful strategies. In addition to tracking current trends, the monitor offers forward-looking recommendations to drive circular development—both within Friesland and beyond—helping to create a more sustainable global economy.

This case study collection supports the dashboard, in showcasing circular economy projects and initiatives already occurring in the region.

CGR Friesland

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Business case

Providing water and sewage services, including water collection and distribution, water treatment systems and sewage treatment facilities

Water and Sewage

Replace freshwater with less impactful alternatives and enact water efficiency measures

Regenerative water

**Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all**

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Billions of people still lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, despite improvement in the provision of these basic services. Water scarcity is a growing problem in many parts of the world, and conflicts and climate change are exacerbating the issue. 
Water and sanitation are at the core of sustainable development, and the range of services they provide underpin poverty reduction, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. However, in recent decades overexploitation, pollution, and climate change have led to severe water stress in locales across the world.  
In addition, water pollution is a significant challenge that affects both human health and the environment in many countries. 

Today, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, and more than 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation. Climate change is exacerbating the situation, with increasing disasters such as floods and droughts. 80 percent of wastewater in the world flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused, and 70 percent of the world’s natural wetland extent has been lost, including a significant loss of freshwater species. 

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional impediment, impairing access for billions of people to safely manage drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services – services desperately needed to prevent the virus from spreading. 

Boosting infrastructure investment, improving cross-sectoral coordination, and addressing climate change are key to getting SDG6 back on track.

Sources: [https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6](https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6)
[https://sdgs.un.org/topics/water-and-sanitation](https://sdgs.un.org/topics/water-and-sanitation)



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6. Clean water and sanitation  

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

Regenerate

Industries

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The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

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**These 17 Goals recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.**

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, and especially on the Millennium Declaration adopted in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York which let to the elaboration of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.

In 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed. A major blueprint came out of this: The Sustainable Development Goals: 17 overarching goals—and 169 targets—that governments are aiming to meet by 2030. Significant progress has been made in terms of poverty, health and inequality, but there's still a way to go. This is where the circular economy comes in: by circulating resources multiple times, the circular economy tackles issues of scarcity and allows all to access what they need—without overburdening the earth. If it's implemented in a holistic way—affording attention to social considerations and the fair distribution of resources— it also offers a pathway for achieving the SDGs; and the link between the two is ever-growing. To read more about the link between the SDGs and the circular economy, click [here](https://www.circle-economy.com/blogs/how-the-circular-economy-can-help-us-reach-the-sustainable-development-goals).

It is the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) which provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues. TheDSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of UN systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and in advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.
Alongside this, the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.
In addition, the UN Secretary-General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.

To read more information: [https://sdgs.un.org/goals](https://sdgs.un.org/goals)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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  The story of Hydraloop and the WaterCampus started early 2017. That is the moment that contact was established between WaterCampus and Hydraloop. Hydraloop already developed their unique technology from their garage in Muiderberg (the Netherlands) and was actively looking for possibilities to enter the market. Hydraloop was immediately impressed by the facilities WaterCampus offered and the strong international network and decided to take an office on WaterCampus in the Business Center Johannes de Doper. In this way they could make optimal use of the innovation eco-system on the WaterCampus. Via the Investment and Development Agency for the North of the Netherlands (NOM) who also have an office at WaterCampus, Hydraloop came into contact with Technologies Added in Emmen, a shared smart factory for SMEs, where the Hydraloop systems are produced.  The first products where delivered in February 2018 and installed in a pilot in the Blitsaerd residential area in Leeuwarden. This is a great example of the intensive cooperation between the various organizations in the WaterCampus ecosystem. In this case it was the municipality of Leeuwarden to understand the importance for a start-up to have a launching customer. In 2018 Hydraloop became the proud winner of the WIS-award. As a winner of this prize Hydraloop got extra support to put their innovative product in the international spotlight. In a period of 2 years, Hydraloop presented itself at 26 trade fairs world wide. Some of them together with the Water Alliance. Some highlights of the international adventure: Abu Dhabi, UAE, January 2018, where Water Alliance organized a Holland pavilion. During this fair Hydraloop won the Innovation Award and thus received a lot of attention in the gulf region.Barcelona, Spain, November 2018, where Hydraloop was presented at IWater. Chicago, USA, September 2019, where Hydraloop joined the Weftec. During the WIS-award in Leeuwarden (2018) Water Alliance introduced Hydraloop to The Water Council in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The Water Council is part of the Global Water Tech Hub Alliance, an initiative of among others Water Alliance. During a Water Tech Hub Tour in the days after the Weftec, Hydraloop became Water Council member and started their first office in the USA;Amsterdam, the Netherlands, November 2019, where Hydraloop was part of the Holland Innovation Park that is organized by the Water Alliance in the Holland Pavilion. In January 2020 it suddenly goes fast when Hydraloop takes part in a major Dutch mission with the 50 most innovative tech start-ups of the Netherlands at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. CES is the global stage for innovation. An event with 200.000 visitors and around 20.000 different innovations that compete to become not only winner in their own category of innovations but also “Best of the Best”. During the CES, Hydraloop received several innovation awards (Best Innovation, Best Start Up, Best Sustainable Product) and is named the overall winner, “Best of the Best”, among giants such as Samsung, Sony and many others. This is not only a success for Hydraloop, it also reflects to Dutch innovation ecosystem. For the first time in the history of CES the spotlight goes to a more environmentally-oriented innovation. For Hydraloop it is a breakthrough in international fame. Orders are coming in from all over the world. To enable the growth of the company it is necessary to attract capital. As part of their search for this capital, Hydraloop also got the possibility to present themselves at the Finance Table Friesland.  Via the Water Alliance, which was involved as a partner in the documentary Brave Blue World, attention has also been paid to Hydraloop as one of the innovative solutions for using our scarce drinking water in a smarter way. This documentary can be seen on Netflix.  As a fast growing organization the office of Hydraloop in the Business Centre became to small. Therefore they moved from the Business Centre to a larger office on the WaterCampus in the Wetsus building. They share this building with Wetsus, CEW and CIV-Water and they are strongly scaling up production and staff. A bright future lies ahead for Hydraloop.  

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Friesland

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Hyrdaloop

<p>Hydraloop, a Friesland-based company, has developed advanced greywater recycling systems that enable households and businesses to reuse wastewater for non-potable purposes.Originating within the WaterCampus innovation ecosystem, Hydraloop exemplifies the synergy between research and entrepreneurship in Friesland's water technology sector.The company's growth underscores the region's leadership in sustainable water management and its capacity to foster innovations with global impact.</p>