3R Decree 2026–2030: is now the right time to rethink your water management?

The upcoming “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” decree is expected this year. And many manufacturers are asking the same question: will it mandate water recycling?
Short answer: not directly ╱ Practical answer: yes, in practice.

Historically, 3R decrees have targeted packaging and solid waste. Water has not been their central focus.
But the context has changed:
✔️ Increased pressure on the quality and volume of discharges
✔️ Decree No. 2025-239 allowing the reuse of non-potable water in ICPEs
✔️ National targets for the reuse of treated wastewater (REUT)
✔️ Structural pressures on water resources
✔️ ESG and CSRD obligations that incorporate water conservation

⚙️ Even without an explicit requirement regarding water, companies will need to:
→ reduce their consumption → limit and recover their discharges → optimize their resources within a closed-loop approach

In this context, effluent recycling often becomes the fastest and most cost-effective solution.

The real question has changed:
It is no longer “Is it mandatory?”
It is now: “Can we still afford not to do it?”

What needs to be addressed now
→ Audit of on-site water usage and discharge → Implementation of internal recycling loops → REUT (reuse of treated wastewater) projects → Adapting facilities to new requirements

Waiting for regulatory mandates always costs more than anticipating them.

And what about you? Have you already taken steps to reduce water consumption in your processes?