Circular Economy – Support for Businesses and Third Sector

A Circular Economy is one in which waste of all types, from all sources, is minimised to as close to zero as possible.

This includes the wastage of energy and resources used in production as well as the disposal of manufactured products at the end of their lifecycle.

Waste is a huge contributor to the global climate and environmental crises, and it is therefore essential that the manufacturing, consumption and disposal of materials is part of the movement towards sustainability. In a Circular Economy, the end of a product’s lifecycle is considered in the design process, waste is avoided in the manufacturing process, and everything is designed to last for multiple uses and/or to be broken down into reusable or recyclable components when the user is finished with it. This reduces demand for raw materials as well as preventing materials already in circulation from becoming waste.

The purpose of East Dunbartonshire’s Circular Economy Strategy (CES) is to set out how the Council as an organisation will make its own processes and material use circular and also how the Council and its community partners will support businesses to become circular. Additionally, it is an opportunity to highlight what local businesses and organisations are already doing to reduce their environmental impact and a chance to connect East Dunbartonshire residents with resources to help everyone to become more sustainable consumers.

Transitioning to a Circular Economy will help East Dunbartonshire to become:

• Fairer- by supporting localised production and employment opportunities, and helping to retain wealth within local communities
• Greener - by reducing product waste, resource waste and carbon emissions
• More resilient - by tackling overconsumption of resources and encouraging innovative and sustainable business practices.
  
  

East Dunbartonshire has made a commitment in local economic policies to produce a CES and doing so is also in line with national priorities. There has been a CES for Scotland since 2016 and the Scottish Government recently renewed this commitment by proposing a Route Map for delivery, alongside supporting legislation through a proposed Circular Economy Bill. At the local level, the development of a CES for East Dunbartonshire was an action in the 2017 Economic Development Strategy and was carried forward in the local Economic Recovery Plan in 2021.

This strategy has been produced in collaboration with members of East Dunbartonshire Economic Partnership and informed by early engagement activities with the local business community, across Council services and Community Planning Partners. The actions are presented within three broad themes: Actions for Council Services; Actions for Businesses and Social Enterprises; and Actions for Communities. There is also a further section detailing plans for governance, delivery and monitoring of the actions and progress towards growing East Dunbartonshire’s Circular Economy.