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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. 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.

We also carry out engagement through Zero Waste Scotland including providing evidence from the Scottish context, policy research into circular products and packaging design, and contributing to relevant European fora.

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: .

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:

The Scottish Institute for Manufacturing (SIR) does not regularly lobby bodies or organisations. The key purpose of the SIR is to play a pivotal role in transitioning to a circular economy within the remanufacturing sector by stimulating and funding innovation, supporting companies to exploit opportunities, and by growing capabilities, capacity and profitability within remanufacturing in Scotland.

This information is not held centrally. Zero Waste Scotland has been working with the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Scottish Enterprise and wider stakeholders to map and understand the resources and potential feedstocks for biorefining in Scotland, this work has focussed on waste and by-product materials.

The Biorefining Potential for Scotland report 2017 mapped resources which arise and which may be available in terms of quantities, location and origin which has allowed businesses to access sample materials for small scale trials ( ). Zero Waste Scotland are supporting a number of companies to progress to larger scale and demonstration facilities.

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

A study was undertaken in 2016 by Zero Waste Scotland to identify and prioritise categories of public sector procurement in terms of circular economy opportunities for reuse, repair and remanufacture which identified 13 products and services: .

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the associated statutory guidance on the sustainable procurement duty sets out the Scottish Government’s framework for business-friendly, socially and environmentally responsible procurement. Specifically, the sustainable procurement duty requires public bodies to consider and act on opportunities to promote environmental well-being in the course of procurement activity.

The sustainable procurement duty is underpinned by sustainable procurement tools and both statutory and non-statutory guidance. These 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:

This information is not held centrally as there is no specific standard industrial classification of economic activities (SIC) code for remanufacturing activities carried out in the UK or Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland published a report estimating Scottish remanufacturing activities in 2015: . A second, similar study is planned to provide comparable data but the timing of this is yet to be decided.

We do not underestimate the significant impact this pandemic has had on Scotland’s tourism sector, both outbound and inbound.

We are engaging with the sector in order to better understand the challenges faced by the outbound travel industry, and will continue to do so in order to help support those businesses.

Throughout these unprecedented conditions we have listened closely to businesses and acted quickly to provide appropriate support. The total package now exceeds £2.3 billion, more than £40.5m of which has been awarded to businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors through targeted funds. We are committed to doing everything in our power to support the tourism sector and will continue to listen to its needs as the situation progresses.

The report of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce, due to be published imminently, will provide a series of recommendations for both the Scottish and UK Governments to consider to support the industry.

The Scottish Government has worked closely with businesses, including those in our night-time economy, to understand their issues and provide appropriate assistance and guidance on reopening. As part of this, Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing met with Glasgow’s Night-time Economy Commission on 18 June to discuss their ongoing concerns and proposed support measures.

Our total package of support now totals over £2.3 billion. This includes almost £900 million of non-domestic rates relief, a £1.3 billion business grants scheme and a £145 million package of targeted support for SMEs and the self-employed. However, we recognise that some sectors have struggled to access support, or are still not permitted to open, and we have therefore launched two new funds to offer that support where it is needed.

Eligible nightclub operators can apply for a share of a £15 million Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund, which is being administered by Creative Scotland, applications for which opened on 17 September. Businesses in the events industry have also been able to apply to VisitScotland for grants from a £6m fund where they could demonstrate events in Scotland are their primary source of income and they have not received any other Government Covid funding.

We continue to do everything in our power to support the tourism and hospitality industry, however without significant borrowing powers at our disposal this action will always be limited, and so we will also continue to press the UK Government to address ongoing impacts.