22 . Glasgow Business June 2016


CIRCULARECONOMY T


UNRAVELLING THE


Glasgow’s innovative plan to become a global champion for the circular economy has captured the imagination of businesses and policymakers across the city


he City Circle Scan of Glasgow is the result of a pioneering collaboration between Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Circle Economy,


with support from Zero Waste Scotland and Glasgow City Council. Te report highlights four pilot projects on the journey towards implementing the circular economy. An influencers’ dinner on 16 June and mini- summit of key decision makers, influencers and business leaders the following day, has considered how the future sustainability of our city is dependent on widespread adoption of the circular economy. Te circular economy is a radical solution


that advocates a fundamental change in our current economic system, reducing the environmental burden on the planet. It has the potential to deliver ground-breaking benefits; from reducing businesses’ dependency on scarce natural resources, increasing competitive advantage, improving efficiency and customer retention to delivering significant cost savings. It is about creating innovative products and services designed from the start to be recycled and regenerated into something new. Using emerging technology – including the Internet of Tings (IoT) – it is about conserving increasingly valuable resources. While the City Circle Scan of Glasgow


report initially pinpointed three key sectors as having the greatest circular economy potential: education, manufacturing and health, it identified the food and beverage sub-sector within manufacturing as having the greatest circular benefits to Glasgow. Nine practical and scalable strategies within the sub-sector were identified, and further discussions narrowed the list from nine to four pilot projects: heat recovery from bakeries, aquaponics, involving fish and biomass, high value cascading, using spent grain from brewing to make bread, and bread to beer, using bread waste in the brewing process. More than 200,000 slices of bread are wasted in Glasgow every day, so by using bread to beer technology, food waste can be reduced and thousands of litres of beer produced. Te action plan is seeking to implement


new circular business models, and demonstrate the tangible benefits to local


“We will be looking to see how the circular economy can be implemented in Glasgow, how our businesses can benefit, and what positive impacts it will have on the people of Glasgow”


businesses. For Glasgow, becoming an early adopter of the circular economy means decoupling growth from scarce resources and gaining a competitive edge. Te Circle City Scan of Glasgow has


established a starting point to motivate and inspire the city with the limitless possibilities of implementing the circular economy. Te next phase will explore the implementation of the four pilot projects. Tese crucial case studies are expected to lead to tangible examples of the circular economy in Glasgow, inspiring others to follow suit. “We will be looking to see how the circular


economy can be implemented in Glasgow, how our businesses can benefit, and what positive impacts it will have on the people of Glasgow,” said Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. Te prize is for the city of Glasgow to


become a European and global showcase and a civic champion for the successful adoption of the circular economy. In the meantime, the Chamber will capture


the key lessons from the pilot projects, build on the collaboration and engagement with local businesses and organisations, and use its influence to get behind this innovative effort.


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