Circular economy in the water and wastewater sector: Tariff impact and financial performance of SMARTechs

This paper proposes a financial evaluation of the investment in SMARTechs in wastewater companies. SMAR Techs are innovative technologies that enable companies to work toward the circular economy approach, thanks to allowing the development of by-products from wastewater. A simulation of the financial impact of the SMARTech introduction was conducted based on the Italian tariff system. It is performed assuming two different scenarios. These relate to a market’s presence (or absence) for the by-products resulting from the application of SMARTechs. The results show that investing in these technologies provides both financial and environmental benefits.