Pioneering circular economy and resource recovery

Ragn-Sells, represented by our Chief Sustainability Officer & Public Affairs, Pär Larshans, participated this past Tuesday on 4 March 2025 in a pivotal four-hour dialogue with Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for Water, Environment, and Competitive Circular Economy. This event, organized by Water Europe, marked a significant step towards enhancing collaboration and innovation in water and resource recovery. 

Commissioner Roswall was joined by Pernille Weiss-Ehler, a distinguished water champion in the previous EU Parliament, highlighting the EU's dedication to addressing water and environmental challenges through policy-driven action.

Key takeaways & Ragn-Sells’ contributions: 

• Transforming Wastewater Treatment Plants: We emphasized the shift from traditional wastewater treatment to resource recovery hubs, focusing on the high-quality recovery of phosphorus, nitrogen, energy, and water. This transformation aims to reduce reliance on virgin resources and promote sustainability. 

• Reducing EU Dependence on Russian Phosphorus Imports: Pär proposed the potential to establish 50 EasyMining phosphorus recovery plants across Europe, contingent on prioritizing product quality over origin. This initiative is crucial for EU self-sufficiency.  

• Addressing PFAS Contamination: Building on Pär's 2018 call for an EU-wide "Clean-Up" project, we discussed the urgent need for "hot-spot" action on PFAS. Chromafora's Selpaxt solution is now market-ready, with a facility under construction in the Netherlands for the Belgian market. 

• Driving Nitrogen Recovery Innovation: On 12 March, Ragn-Sells will present its Aqua2N technology at the House of Lords (UK Parliament), showcasing our leadership in circular nitrogen solutions and furthering our commitment to sustainable practices. The meeting will be broadcast here: 12 March 2025 - Nitrogen - Oral evidence - Committees - UK Parliament 

Why this matters? This dialogue underscored the EU's increasing focus on circular economy strategies, aligning perfectly with Ragn-Sells’ vision of maximizing resource recovery from waste. With robust regulatory support, innovations like EasyMining, Chromafora Selpaxt, and Aqua2N can accelerate Europe’s transition to a sustainable, self-sufficient future.