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Since 2016, a range of multi-media learning resources have been created by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) working with over 20 partners. These circular economy education resources and packs have been downloaded over 10,000 times.

ZWS has also trained teachers to champion the circular economy in schools. For example, in the last 3 years 38 teachers have completed the Food Nation General Teaching Council accredited programme.

Through work with Education Scotland ZWS is currently working with over 25 Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE)/science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) officers and 6 teachers from Angus schools to develop and share resources in schools nationally to champion circular economy education.

No detailed analysis of the impact on running costs for landfill operators to provide capacity for biodegradable waste after 2021 has been carried out. However, we engaged widely with stakeholders, including landfill operators and trade associations, before extending the deadline on the ban on municipal waste to landfill from 2021 to 2025, and no concerns around the costs of providing capacity were raised.

Funding for community initiatives mainly comes through support from Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS). This includes five Zero Waste Town projects between 2014 and 2020, each receiving £300,000 to pilot place-based approaches to furthering circular economy initiatives at a local level. Zero Waste Dunbar’s re-use pilot, which saw them diverting good quality items directly from recycling centres to a local store, proved so successful they now operate from recycling centres throughout East Lothian and have large re-use superstores in Dunbar, Musselburgh and Edinburgh.

ZWS’s Circular Economy Business support service has worked with over 200 companies, including a number of community organisations, to help them explore more circular ways of doing business. Further details and case study examples can be found here:

The Circular Economy Investment Fund has provided grants to over 50 companies, including a number of community organisations. A list of the companies and projects funded is available on the Zero Waste Scotland website:

Finally, the Revolve network currently has 137 certified sites from 61 organisations across Scotland, many of which are community based. A wide range of support is available to the Revolve network through Zero Waste Scotland, including training & advice on standards, operational improvements, visual merchandising & customer service, branding & campaign materials. Further details can be found here:

Other funding includes the Climate Challenge Fund which has provided a wide range of support to community initiatives linked to the circular economy. Details of projects are available here:

This information is not held centrally. Zero Waste Scotland has focused on identifying the potential for establishing biorefining hubs in Scotland that could transform a range of materials. In 2017, a research study was undertaken by Zero Waste Scotland to understand the bioresource arisings and availability for biorefining in Scotland:

The findings of this study have been used by Zero Waste Scotland, the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre and Scottish Enterprise to help inform a number of businesses on the potential to establish biorefining facilities in Scotland. Several businesses have benefitted through this information and are progressing plans to develop facilities in Scotland.

The Biorefinery Roadmap for Scotland – Building a Sustainable Future sets out Scottish Enterprise’s approach to the sector: .

The Scottish Government has reviewed its records and found no instances of peat having been purchased by the Scottish Government in the last five years. The Scottish Government is unable to answer on behalf of other public sector organisations. However, the Public Contracts Scotland website (at ) provides the means to search the public record of contracts awarded by all Scottish public sector organisations.

Scottish Government officials currently take part in monthly meetings with officials from the UK, Northern Ireland and Wales governments to discuss producer responsibility. Scottish Ministers have also met twice with their counterparts in the other Governments to discuss deposit return schemes, a form of producer responsibility, since 2016.

While we do not hold data centrally on circular economy approaches in public procurement activity, procurement legislation has required public bodies to consider and act on opportunities to improve environmental impact of procurement activity since 2016 and we are aware of a number of instances where reuse and remanufacture form part of what is measured as part of contract management.

For example, the Scottish Government National framework for the supply of desktop and laptop computers requires that all devices meet the Green Electronics Council’s Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool accreditation standards which are designed to reduce the environmental impact of devices across their lifecycle:

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Framework suppliers are required to manage and reduce waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy including minimising the use and environmental impact of packaging. Between July 2019 and July 2020 our national framework for supplier of desktop and laptop computers, have recycled 3,500 devices, refurbished 1,270 devices and recycled around 22 tonnes of packaging.

Sustainable procurement tools and guidance are updated on an ongoing basis in response to policy developments and emerging good practice and so it is not possible to identify all the changes that have been made since 2016. The guidance and tools are available online: .

Homeworking from the onset of the pandemic has been and continues to be part of our wider public health response. By working from home, workers and employers are playing a vital role in helping suppress the virus, and in ensuring that our transport network remains safe.

We know that the vast majority of employers are complying with current homeworking guidance on a voluntary basis and we will continue to monitor this. As we have seen a worrying rise in the rate of transmission over the past few weeks we are considering options for placing a legal duty on employers to allow homeworking where it is possible. The introduction of any such duty would be on the basis of public health advice.

We must continue to limit the opportunity for the virus to spread and one of those measures is the continuation of homeworking.

Through regular dialogue and engagement at UK level, Scottish Ministers worked to ensure the UK position taken forward to EU negotiations properly reflected Scottish priorities, including in relation to the delivery of a more circular economy.

The Scottish Government supports those regulatory changes introduced by the EU to protect our finite natural resources and improve the way we manage products at end of life. We will shortly consult on the introduction of a market restriction on problematic single-use items as part of our efforts to implement the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, while our ongoing efforts to reform the UK packaging producer responsibility system are a key response to the EU Circular Economy Package.

On 3 September, I met with Virginijus Sinkevicius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, to discuss a number of matters including the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and forthcoming legislative agenda.

The Scottish Government through Zero Waste Scotland has supported the piloting of three re-use hubs (Blythswood Dingwall in 2015, The Edinburgh Remakery in 2016, and Restyle Argyll in 2017). These hubs were a collaborative approach to re-use and all are still in operation. All three have also received support through the Revolve certification programme including training, retail and standards support.

Information on material capture rates for reuse is not held centrally. However, for example, The Edinburgh Remakery reported reuse figures of 17 tonnes of household furniture and 8 tonnes of IT equipment in 2018-19.