Scottish circular economy gets public consultation
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation regarding the creation of a circular economy in Scotland.
Running until 30 October, the consultation is the first step in preparing a circular economy strategy for Scotland, which the government says will target significant potential benefits for the economy, environment and communities.
It will seek to do so through improving the efficient use of resources, creating new markets, improving resilience, cutting emissions and providing better access to goods.
Among the topics covered in the consultation are potential actions on design, reuse, remanufacture, recycling and recovering value from biological resources.
It also suggests proposals supporting changes in these areas through communications, skills building and measuring of progress.
The launch coincides with the closing of the public consultation period on the European Commission’s revised Circular Economy Package.
Potential for a Scottish circular economy
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation released study into the possibility of a Scottish circular economy, ‘Scotland and the circular economy report – A preliminary examination of the opportunities for a circular economy in Scotland’, in August 2014, estimating that the adoption of circular economy practices in the manufacture of medium-lived complex goods could create annual cost savings of between £0.8 and £1.5 billion in Scotland.
It also predicted that a circular economy could see an additional 10-20 anaerobic digestion plants to treat Scottish food waste.
In addition, a report published by Zero Waste Scotland in June, ‘The Carbon Impacts of the Circular Economy’, suggested that material consumption is responsible for over two-thirds of Scotland’s carbon emissions, and that creating a more circular economy could reduce territorial emissions by 11 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year by 2050, whilst providing economic growth.
Developing a stronger remanufacturing sector in Scotland through collaboration among delivery bodies and the Scottish Government, as highlighted in Zero Waste Scotland’s ‘Circular Economy Evidence Building Programme – Remanufacturing Study’, could also, the organisation says, grow the industry by £620 million by 2020.
However, the MacArthur report also noted several barriers to a circular economy in Scotland, including industry barriers caused by a reluctance to innovate and lack of awareness of business opportunities, consumer barriers caused by weak incentives for product repair and low level of trust concerning remanufactured goods and barriers in the business environment such as the lack of fiscal incentives, poor access to capital to invest in innovation and weaknesses in financial and legal frameworks.
Making things last will benefit whole country
Speaking after the launch of the consultation, Scottish Environment Secretary, Richard Lochhead said: “The average UK household owns around £4,000 worth of clothes and around 30 per cent of clothing or 1.7 billion items in our wardrobes has not been worn for at least a year. The cost of this unused clothing in Scotland is around £2.5 billion.
“In a world of finite resources, where global population and consumption growth are generating volatility and vulnerability in the supply of raw materials, the circular economy approach offers a new and exciting perspective.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to making things last – whether that be designing complex products to enable remanufacture, or quite simply empowering people to repair household items instead of throwing them away, the concept makes sense for business, industry, the public sector and individuals.
“I am looking forward to hearing people’s views in shaping Scotland’s steps towards a more circular economy. It will conserve our finite resources, help support jobs in our communities, improve our quality of life, and it just makes good sense.”
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, added: “Aiming to move away from our current ‘make, use, and dispose’ way of life, a circular economy aims to create a society where it’s easier for us all to make the most of what we have. For example, in a circular economy, the leasing, lending, and sharing of things, such as clothing, tools, and toys, could become the norm.
“Zero Waste Scotland recently asked people across Scotland for their ideas on how we could #MakeThingsLast and help end our throwaway society. It was great to see so many people get involved, and I’d urge everyone to contribute their thoughts to the Scottish Government’s consultation.
“This is our chance to see Scotland adopt some game-changing, and world-leading, initiatives, ultimately helping us to create a more sustainable Scotland for future generations.”
Respond to the Scottish Government’s Making Things Last consultation.
