Zero Waste Scotland

We exist to create a society where resources are valued and nothing is wasted.

Our mission is to influence and enable change – from gathering evidence and informing policy, to motivating practical behaviour change in individuals and organisations through our programmes and brands. We also make direct interventions to effect change, commonly in the form of finance, business support, technical advice, training and competence development or communications support.

Our corporate plan provides an overview of what we are aiming to achieve as an organisation, with our delivery plan providing a more detailed overview of our planned activity for the current year.

What is the Circular Economy Accelerator?

The Circular Economy Accelerator can help you and your business move towards your own circular business model – generating income and reducing costs, providing one-to-one advice and support through Circular Economy Business support service and Investment Fund.

The circular economy is about making things last and there are lots of ways to do it, each with unique opportunities to cut costs and increase profits.

The Circular Economy programme

The Circular Economy programme is delivered by Zero Waste Scotland with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The work has been allocated £30.7m from the 2014-2020 programme for the period up to the end of December 2018. Additional funding from the Scottish Government will bring the total size of the fund to £73m.

We are one of 12 Lead Partners for the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Operational programme.

It is anticipated that this Strategic Intervention (SI) will deliver a step change in terms of scale, range and depth of existing resource efficiency work across all business and social economy sectors in Scotland directly contributing to the EU strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and the Scottish Government’s Economic Strategy/Smart Specialisation Strategy.

Zero Waste Scotland is responsible for providing support to SMEs across Scotland.

The Circular Economy programme aims to increase the resource efficiency of Scottish SMEs, further develop and strengthen Scotland's circular economy, and support community-based organisations to build on existing local resources.

It is delivered through five ‘operations’ covering:

Overall management and co-ordination of the programme;
Resource Efficiency support for SMEs in the Highlands and Islands;
Resource Efficiency support for SMEs in the Lowlands and Uplands;
Circular Economy innovation and infrastructure in the Highlands and Islands;
Circular Economy innovation and infrastructure in the Lowlands and Uplands.

In mobilising this work Zero Waste Scotland will deliver this through:

An expanded Resource Efficient Scotland programme dedicated to SMEs;
A new Circular Economy business support service incorporating our work on Revolve, the standard for re-use organisations in Scotland;
A Circular Economy Innovation Fund to stimulate and support business to develop new business models, products, services and infrastructure;
Integration of support for third and community sector organisations building links to the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund.

The programme aims to deliver*:

2,000 enterprises receiving non-financial support in the form of reports and audits;
200 enterprises receiving financial support;
350 community/third sector organisations receiving non-financial support;
100 community/third sector organisations receiving financial support;
One million tCO2eq cumulative lifetime carbon savings;
£100 million of cumulative economic benefit.

*Figures are approximate.

Ready to embrace the benefits of a circular approach to your business?

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Zero Waste Scotland Limited
Registered in Scotland (SC436030)
Ground Floor, Moray House
Forthside Way
Stirling
FK8 1QZ
Office: 01786 433 930