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The Scottish Government is consulting and seeking views on their proposal for legislation to develop Scotland’s Circular Economy. The consultation which opened at the end of May runs until 22nd August. The Scottish Government proposal aims to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis and support Scotland’s transition to a zero-waste and Circular Economy.
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater MSP is leading the consultation said “These consultations are the start of a national conversation on how we deliver these ambitions. It requires us to be bold, brave and focused on delivering the actions needed.”
Currently, like many nations, Scotland’s is a linear economy, “take, make and dispose”. Estimates suggest around a fifth of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products and services they manufacture, use and throw away and with the average Scottish citizen consuming 18.4 tonnes of materials annually, it’s estimated three planets would be required to sustain their current usage.
This isn’t the first time a Circular Economy has been proposed to the Scottish Government. In 2019, a proposal for legislation was published, however pressures on the Scottish Parliament due to Covid-19 pandemic, the bill was pushed back.
Scotland has already introduced and leading the UK’s first Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) which will go live on 16th August 2023. The DRS is helping to increase recycling, decrease litter and ultimately tackle climate emergency. The rest of the UK aren’t expected to introduce a similar scheme until 2024 at a minimum.
The Scottish Government hopes the new policies will cut waste, preserve precious and natural resources, and increase reuse and recycling rates.
The Netherlands set out a circular economy strategy in 2016, their aim is to achieve a waste-free economy by 2050. In 2020, a study in the Netherlands found the country had reached 24.5% economy-wide circularity. Whilst France introduced laws in 2016 ensuring unsold food was donated to charities rather than thrown away.
The public sector aren’t the only ones leading the way, private sector organisations such as Renault are repurposing and remanufacturing cars and car parts whilst our partners at Circular Computing are actively working with third-sector organisations such as the WWF to decarbonise their IT asset.
National bodies such as the BSI Group are working with Circular Computing to adopt to the Circular Economy and in October 2021 BSI introduced British Standards (BS) BS8887-220 and BS8887-211 certifies that Circular Remanufacturing Process produces products ‘equal to or better than new’.
Since 2018, ISO have been working on developing ISO/TC 323 a Circular Economy standard to develop frameworks, guidance, supporting tools and requirements for the implementation of activities of all involved to maximise contribution to the United National Sustainable Development Goals.
The circular economy has turned from an academic concept into third-sector, private and public sector target.
Scotland are leading the UK to create an environment that makes it easy for people to cut down on their waste, and the Zero Waste Scotland by 2030 plan sets out how Scotland will do this;
- Improving recycling rates
- Encourage reuse
- Increasing food waste collections
- Reduce plastic use and bring in a deposit return scheme
Scotland’s Procurement Policy Note (SPPN 3/2022) set out expectations on the public sector bodies to utilise their spend to support climate and circular economy ambitions.
Public procurement in Scotland is valued at £13 billion annually and procurement will be the significant lever in changing behaviour. The Circular Economy should be adapted by procurement professionals to influence, transform, and shape policy.
Scotland are currently leading the UK having established the National Climate and Procurement Forum to provide leadership and direction to support the climate emergency response which includes providing direction and aid the adaption of the Circular Economy.
Ellen Macarthur Foundation is a huge resource for procurement professionals and stakeholders looking at introducing the Circular Economy to their procurement strategy, they regularly publish reports, guides, and white papers around Circular Economy. Their mission is to accelerate the transition to a Circular Economy anyone interested should register for their newsletter.
