Prof. Chrysi Laspidou headlined the Nexus Seminar N.62, where she discussed the importance of building upon scientific cooperation and robust research ties to advance interdisciplinary research on the water, energy, and food nexus for a low-carbon economy in Europe and beyond.

As we aim towards a sustainable future through the Green Transition, it is vital that we recognise the importance of Nexus research to understand and assess cross-system interactions, and to develop accessible and transferable methodologies. Professor Laspidou emphasised the value of mainstreaming biodiversity into policymaking to upscale biodiversity-relevant transformative change in society.

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Professor Laspidou presented the new trends and approaches to the Nexus implementation and highlighted the importance of providing equal opportunities to access resources and facilitate a fair transition, while acknowledging the social structures and drivers that create disparities. By giving examples from the ongoing research projects, including NEXUSNET, ARSIONE, BIONEXT, and SIM4NEXUS, the session addressed the vital role of strong collaborations, tapping into synergies and creative research networks to translate Nexus knowledge so that the private sector and policymakers alike can enhance its applicability on a global scale.

By pointing out the components of successful management systems, this Nexus Seminar provided an opportunity to further discuss strategies to maximise the synergies between the Sustainable Development Goals to enhance biodiversity, and to improve both climate change resilience and human welfare.

The Nexus Seminar N.63 saw UNU-FLORES researcher Dr Saroj Kumar Chapagain present the topic of Sustainable Sanitation for Improved Public Health and Resource Recovery.  Dr Chapagain explained the urgent problem of inadequate access to improved sanitation and pointed out the detrimental impacts of insufficient sanitation facilities on societies, as well as on human and environmental health.

 Improved sanitation is crucial to achieve resource recovery and resource efficiency in the face of a higher demand for resources, which puts more stress on resource supply and on the environment. Wastewater and sludge are rich sources of nutrients and energy, and by treating these waste streams as valuable resources rather than waste, we can unlock their potential to support sustainable agriculture, energy production, and other applications, while also protecting public health and the environment.

Dr Chapagain described the characteristics of centralised and decentralised sanitation systems, along with integrated waste management strategies to optimise resource recovery while minimising environmental impact. The use of proper sanitation facilities such as toilets and waste treatment systems can prevent human waste from polluting rivers, lakes, and groundwater, thereby preserving the quality of water resources. In turn, the availability of clean water can support improved sanitation by enabling the construction and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure. The lecture underlined the critical importance of improving decentralised wastewater management systems to close the water loop.

In the context of the reciprocal relationship between the Resource Nexus and improved sanitation, Dr Chapagain’s lecture mentioned the need to address multiple sustainability challenges simultaneously, and the importance of harnessing the interrelations to close the loop on sanitation to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

The Nexus Seminar N.64 was hosted by Dr Jean Henri El Achkar from the Australian University in Kuwait, and explored the connection between a Resource Nexus approach and the sustainable management of biomass resources - specifically organic waste and produced water.

The lecture highlighted an alarming increase in waste generation, alongside natural resources that are depleting faster than nature can replenish them. Poorly managed biomass waste can result in the release of greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to the acceleration of climate change. On the other hand, organic waste has enormous untapped potential to provide green energy and a variety of valuable products. Sustainable wastewater and solid waste management practices augment resource recovery and reduce waste discharge, while promoting a circular economy transition.

The lecture delved into the untapped potential of organic waste as a source of green energy and beneficial products, and examined the significance of sustainable wastewater and solid waste management practices to achieve this potential. Dr El Ackhkar also gave special attention to produced water - one of the most significant byproducts of oil and gas industries - and discussed strategies to manage this resource in a way that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. The lecture put forward both the barriers and opportunities of using produced water, and provided a conceptual model to enhance ecosystem services and promote circularity in this industrial sector.

Overall, the lecture provided policy recommendations that encouraged PW recycling through economic incentives and policy changes. These recommendations featured the importance of robust and reliable data and reporting to drive smart legislation and coordination among public and private actors, and the significance of promoting the use of non-freshwater resources to meet our growing water needs.  By drawing attention to the current and emerging trends in biomass management in the context of the Resource Nexus, the lecture gave us insights into how we can embrace technology and establish holistic regulatory frameworks to capitalise on the potential benefits of biomass.

In the corporate world, sustainability has become an increasingly pressing concern, with mounting pressures to reduce environmental impact and create a more equitable society. To that end, established companies must rise to the challenge and embrace innovative solutions for sustainability – this formed the topic of discussion of the Nexus Seminar N.65, where Dr Ilka Weissbrod presented promising ways of closing the gap between sustainability goals and innovation processes.

‘Sustainable Innovation’ is defined as a concept that questions the current economy and market ideology by focusing on sustainability rather than economic growth. In this context, Dr Weissbrod provided three examples based on empirical research to explain alliance learning as an outside-in approach; secondly, experimentation for sustainability within the business and, perhaps most impactful but hardest to quantify and formalise in innovation processes, evolving personal belief systems.

Dr Weissbrod’s lecture focused on “alliance learning" as an "outside-in approach” which involves bringing external perspectives and ideas into a business to drive change. The lecture used the example of strategic alliances formed between a large meat firm and alternative protein startups to explain alliance learning cycles and their implications on sustainable innovation.

The second example covered the use of experimentation as a means of promoting sustainability within a business – such as trying out new ideas and initiatives in a controlled way to test their effectiveness and adjust as needed. Dr Weissbroad explained this inside-out learning approach by using an example of a clothing manufacturer and retailer that used a validated customer learning approach for sustainable innovation with the goal of diverting all its sold clothing from landfill. Although the project had not succeeded as expected, it provided key learnings towards resource productivity and other sustainability issues.

Finally, in her third example, she mentioned the evolution of personal belief systems. The lecture explained the role of beliefs in promoting sustainable practices within a business, and driving long-term benefits. Dr Weissbroad referred to a research study based on the German clothing/textile market and accentuated the link between the social elements of the sustainability debate and methods of fostering innovation.

This Nexus Seminar underscored the importance of learning for sustainability as a key to revealing a more sustainable future for all, and provided a different perspective on ways to fostering businesses to create more meaningful and lasting change - not only within their own organisations, but within the wider community and in alignment with sustainability goals.