
The director of the Chair of Economic Model Transformation: Circular Economy in the Water Sector of the Valencian Government and the Universitat de València (GVA-UV), Francesc Hernández, has stated that the viability of any business requires profits and that, therefore, a circular economy that is not closely linked to competitiveness cannot be considered.
The professor made these statements at the Hotel Plaza de Alaquàs during the talk - colloquium ‘Water as an improvement in business competitiveness’ organised by the Business Forum of l'Horta Sud and Joves Empresaris d’Alaquàs, whose aim was to establish a dialogue on the consumption and use of water in companies in the region.
Hernández also exposed the problem of the lack of control by the town councils over water management, given that, although the municipalities are the competent institutions in water matters, in most cases they outsource the service to private companies; an outsourcing that occurs, he explained, among very few companies.
The expert also spoke of the difficulty of “treating water with common sense” due to the variety of competences and regulations, and argued that it would be “viable and desirable” to pool the entire water cycle, as this would have a very favourable impact on reuse and on the sustainability of the water service itself.