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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.

This information is not held centrally.

Some data are available for Revolve certified organisations. Revolve is Scotland’s National Reuse Quality Standard and Revolve stores are supported to work to key standards, and are committed to quality.

In 2018-19 sales through Revolve certified community stores reported to Zero Waste Scotland were circa £34 million. There were over 780 full time staff employed and 192,590 volunteer hours from 1,406 volunteers recorded in those same organisations, and approximately 35,000 tonnes of material was estimated to be diverted from landfill.

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:

https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/Biorefining%
20Potential%20for%20Scotland%20Final%20report.pdf

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: https://www.sdi.co.uk/media/2092/biorefinery-roadmap-for-scotland-building-a-sustainable-future.pdf .

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: https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/RemanufacturingReport . A second, similar study is planned to provide comparable data but the timing of this is yet to be decided.

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.

Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS), as the Scottish Government’s circular economy delivery partner, has supported a number of relevant YoungScot initiatives:

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 ( https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/Biorefining%
20Potential%20for%20Scotland%20Final%20report.pdf ). 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: https://www.sdi.co.uk/media/2092/biorefinery-roadmap-for-scotland-building-a-sustainable-future.pdf .

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.

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.

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 w ww.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk ) provides the means to search the public record of contracts awarded by all Scottish public sector organisations.