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CIRCULAR GLASGOW


Glasgow leads the way in its role as the world’s ‘Circular Economy Hotspot’


O


ctober saw Glasgow welcome 500 circular economy experts from over 20 countries as it hosted the third annual


Circular Economy Hotspot. The city used the occasion to announce its intention to become Scotland’s first circular city, with Glasgow City Council revealing its plans to publish the country’s first circular economy route map. Glasgow, through its Circular Glasgow


work, a Glasgow Chamber of Commerce initiative, is well-known for its leadership on circularity and has spent the last three years mapping out where the best economic opportunities might lie as it looks to make this transition. With an initial focus on the city’s businesses, Circular Glasgow is now looking to widen its support at city leadership and engagement level. Strategically, Circular Glasgow will


also continue its partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, sharing best practice with other Scottish circular economy regions: Edinburgh; Tayside and North East. According to Zero Waste Scotland’s own work, coupled with an announcement from the First Minister at the international event, these four Scottish regions alone could collectively benefit from a £1 billion boom created by reducing waste and keeping materials in circulation. The First Minister also used her speech


to announce the latest businesses to receive support through the Circular Economy Investment Fund, with over £500,000 going to help two Glasgow businesses accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Circular Economy Investment Fund is administered by Zero Waste Scotland and supported by the European Regional Development Fund. Nicola Sturgeon said: “It’s


great to see projects like Total Homes and Revive Eco embracing our circular economy and getting maximum value from resources.


Nicola Sturgeon with Marysia Cmiel, Zara Ali and Kryzsztof Tyczak from St Vincent’s Primary School


This investment will help these businesses reuse and repurpose products which will benefit communities by creating jobs and reducing emissions. “Scotland is already leading the way with its ambitious and challenging targets for recycling which are above and beyond the EU targets. However, we want the narrative to move beyond recycling to reuse, repair and remanufacturing of items. In this light, we are currently considering next steps for introducing a deposit return scheme which will help us achieve our ambitions.” The international event also gave Glasgow’s youngest entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase circular business ideas to the First Minister. Ten-year olds Zara Ali,


Kryzsztof Tyczak and Marysia Cmiel from St Vincent’s Primary School, presented a reusable pen made from contact


lenses, gardening tools made from plastic bottles and a cushion made from scrap material, after a challenge tasked them to think of circular solutions.


The Circular Economy Challenge,


hosted by Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) in partnership with Circular Glasgow and funded by the ScottishPower Foundation, encourages primary school children across the city to think about ways to create their own circular economy.


Alison McRae, Senior Director at


Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’re well on the way to becoming Scotland’s first circular city and as the momentum builds among the business community, it’s vital to instil the same kind of thinking within our youngest generation. “Glasgow Chamber of Commerce sees the circular economy as an opportunity to future-proof our city, and as we do this it makes sense to teach the city’s future business leaders to develop sustainable solutions. “We’re thrilled to be supporting this


Young Enterprise Scotland initiative and inspire our city’s children to join an exciting movement that will impact our future.” Zero Waste Scotland leads on


delivery of the £73 million Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, which aims to improve the economic performance of SMEs while at the same time reducing the impact of economic activity on the natural environment, supporting Scottish Government and EU policies.


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