Zero Waste Scotland’s Circular Economy Hotspot to highlight progressive circular businesses

Businesses developing innovative ways of making resources last will open their doors as part of a visit programme for Circular Economy Hotspot Scotland.

Registration is now open for Circular Economy Hotspot Scotland, an international three-day event in Glasgow held between 30 October and 1 November 2018.

The event is being run by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) in partnership with Circular Glasgow – an initiative delivered by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, funded by ZWS and backed by the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund.

The event will give delegates the opportunity to hear from Scottish businesses and key partners, including visits to businesses’ sites. Attendees can choose one of six sector-specific tours:

• Plastic solutions in partnership with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), featuring projects developing alternatives to plastics and minimising their single use;
• Manufacturing in partnership with the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS), Scottish Enterprise, demonstrating how Scotland’s manufacturers are making resources last longer;
• Construction in partnership with Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, demonstrating how Scotland is building a circular economy from the point of architectural design through to build phase;
• Food and drink in partnership with Scotland Food and Drink, allowing delegates to sample the work being done with the food and drink supply chain to retain and maximise the value of materials that go into producing food and drink.
• Bioeconomy in partnership with The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), highlighting ‘bio’ resources as a priority area with the greatest opportunity to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits for Scotland; or
• Circular Economy in the Community in partnership with Revolve, Scotland’s national quality standard for re-use organisations, incorporating visits to community-based organisations re-using, re-making and re-selling consumer goods.

‘Leading the way in sustainability’

The event will feature thought leaders on sustainability and the circular economy, including Dr Leyla Acaroglu, United Nations Champion of the Earth 2016, and Walter Stahel, an eminent thinker on the circular economy, Gary Gillespie, the Scottish Government’s Chief Economic Advisor and Dr Katherine Trebeck, Research Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.

Chief Executive of ZWS, Iain Gulland, commented: “I’m delighted that Walter Stahel and Dr Acaroglu will be joining us in Glasgow later this year to share their key insights with delegates attending the Circular Economy Hotspot Scotland. It’s exciting that we can hear from world-leading experts of their stature, and that we can demonstrate, with the input of our business partners at the event, how Scotland is truly leading the way in sustainability across many business sectors.

“All sectors and regions can benefit from becoming ‘circular’; it’s the key to keeping businesses sustainable. Delegates will see how a variety of industries and regions have adopted circular practices and how innovative collaborations were born. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of Scotland’s first Circular Economy Hotspot by registering now and securing your place on one of the discovery tours.”

Alison McRae, Senior Director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, added: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming each of the organisations currently developing circular business strategies and hearing from global experts about ways our business community can transition towards circularity.

“As Glasgow Chamber of Commerce works to position Glasgow as a leading circular city, it’s vital to engage with global game changes within each sector. The pace of change is daily, and as new businesses continue to commit to a circular goal there has never been a better time for Glasgow to host the Circular Economy Hotspot.”

Zero Waste Scotland

ZWS leads on delivery of the £73-million Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, which aims to improve the economic performance of SMEs while simultaneously reducing the impact of economic activity on the natural environment. The organisation states that, across Europe, moving towards a more circular economy could generate £1.4 trillion of annual benefits by 2030.

In May this year, ZWS and the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce launched an initiative to help small and medium-sized enterprises identify and maximise circular economy opportunities. A range of activities are being held to help identify opportunities for local businesses and direct them towards available support and funding.

ZWS is also running the Scottish Resources Conference, which this year is being held on 3-4 October 2018 in Edinburgh, and will examine issues such as plastics in Scotland’s oceans, the coming ban on biodegradable waste to landfill, construction waste, and Scotland’s planned deposit return scheme.

The conference will be delivered by ZWS with partners the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC).

Those interested in attending Scotland’s Circular Economy Hotspot can register for their place and their choice of tour online.