Circular sanitation isn’t just an environmental concept ; it’s a fundamental shift in how we think about resources, cities, and the role of governance in building sustainable futures. 

At P2GreeN, this shift is at the core of everything we do. We know that technical solutions alone are not enough. For circular sanitation systems to succeed and scale, two ingredients are non-negotiable: social acceptance and government support. 

On the 28th of April 2026, our partner ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability took this message to the ESNI-NERM Conference, presenting P2GreeN’s research on how local and regional governments can move from passive administrators to active drivers of nutrient recovery. 

Based on a review of 50+ case studies across Europe and in-depth qualitative research, the work presented identified five concrete action levers for local and regional authorities: 

1. Strategise : Embed nutrient recovery targets into urban, climate, and food strategies 
2. Educate : Build awareness among communities, farmers, businesses, and policymakers. 
3. Mobilise : Engage across sectors, from start-ups to research to multilevel governance.
4. Implement: Adapt urban infrastructure to support circular sanitation in practice. 
5. Support: Provide the financial and non-financial resources that make transition viable. 

Real examples from across Europe show this is already happening. Cities like Geneva offer tax incentives for decentralised wastewater treatment. Lyon Métropole directly supported a farmer transitioning to urine-based fertiliser. Stockholm embeds circular resource targets into its utility operations. The Île-de-France regional plan mandates reductions in nutrient discharge from new developments.