Resource Efficient Scotland saves £2 million

By Sam Finney | 3 December 2013 | Add a Comment

(L-R): Lauren Milton and Lorna Milton from Elan Hair Design with Stephen Boyle, Programme Area Manager at Resource Efficient Scotland, and Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism.

Resource Efficient Scotland – a Scottish Government green efficiency scheme launched on 18 April and delivered by Zero Waste Scotland – has helped Scottish businesses save over £2 million since its inception, Zero Waste Scotland has announced.

Resource Efficient Scotland aims to help organisations across Scotland use their resources more efficiently. Launched earlier this year as part of a £7 million annual project, it is hoped it will help save Scottish business around £7,000 each, or £2.9 billion in total.

The advice and support service was set up to help Scottish businesses ‘reduce energy, water and raw materials costs’ and offers ’free support, training and access to funding to help… implement resource efficiency measures’. This includes advice on finance and how to gain access to it.

The Resource Efficient Scotland SME loan, for example, aims to support businesses that are looking to reduce costs through improved energy, material resource and water efficiency. The scheme is aimed at Scottish businesses that fall within the EC definition of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), private sector landlords, not-for-profit organisations and charities.

A new ‘savings finder’ tool ‘helps businesses identify potential savings’ online has also been launched by Resource Efficient Scotland. By completing an on-line questionnaire, businesses will receive a personal report and action plan to help them reduce costs.

Resource Efficient Scotland is a 'game changer'

The savings milestone was marked by Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, yesterday (2 December) when he visited Élan Hair Design in Inverurie, a small family-run business which has taken action to reduce its energy, water and raw material costs.

Speaking yesterday, Ewing said: “We launched Resource Efficient Scotland to help organisations benefit from expertise on energy, water and materials all from one service. Resource Efficient Scotland is a new, innovative programme that has the potential to help every business and other organisations in Scotland and be a game-changer for resource efficiency in Scotland.

“By safeguarding and using resources wisely, with best business practice, Scotland’s firms are an example to all. To date the RES programme has helped SMEs in Scotland identify savings of almost £2.1 million, supported 17,500 organisations and delivered over 400 site-visits to businesses."

Élan Hair Design was one such organisation that has used Resource Efficient Scotland to make changes, which it says has seen it save £5,300 on heat and electricity following the installation of PV panels, solar thermal panels and ‘other green initiatives’.

The business said it was also now diverting 95 per cent of its waste from landfill, by sending hair clippings and other biodegradable waste for composting.

It added that since implementing these changes, its turnover has increased by 16 per cent in the past 12 months, with 25 per cent of customers saying that the company’s green ethos has been a ‘major factor’ for revisiting.

Ewing added: “I encourage businesses like Élan Hair Design to take action to help tackle climate change and put Scotland in a firm position to reduce risk associated with fluctuating raw material process.”

As well as the Resource Efficient Scotland service, Zero Waste Scotland has also recently opened Scotland’s ‘first’ Resource Efficient House.

The house, located at the BRE Innovation Park at Ravenscraig, was built with resource efficiency in mind, and was opened by Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead Zero Waste Scotland Director, Iain Gulland in September.

Read more about Resource Efficient Scotland.