Why circularity matters
Why circularity matters
Why should circularity matter to local authorities?
There are lots of reasons, but the overriding one is prosperity.
A more circular local economy will deliver future-proofed economic activity which is more resistant to global shocks, less damaging to the planet and doesn’t exhaust our finite resources. At a local level this will safeguard prosperity for businesses, people and therefore the local authority as well.
That prosperity comes in the form of economic benefits, social benefits and environmental benefits.
Economic benefits
For businesses in the local economy, circular economy practices can offer tangible benefits such as cost savings, economic growth, and enhanced employee engagement and retention.
A thriving local economy is vital to the financial health of local authorities, and circularity also offers significant financial benefits to council operations through initiatives such as recycling and reuse, heat recovery, circular procurement and circular design of buildings.
These types of measures can result in cost savings through the ability to reuse existing assets, saving costs on disposal and reducing waste, reduced cost through equipment reuse and sharing, reduced costs through life extension of materials and products, and lower building operating costs by considering long term management at the design stage.
Social benefits
Circularity can bring many social benefits through the creation of social enterprises such as reuse organisations, repair centres and lending libraries for things like tools, appliances or toys. These types of organisations keep items in use for longer, create jobs and support people back into work, give access to goods and services for low prices and often support local good causes.
Circularity is a key driver of community wealth building, which in turn helps to foster greater social inclusion.
Environmental benefits
Economic activity has driven huge leaps in prosperity and living standards in Scotland, but at huge cost to the local and global environment. Circularity allows economic prosperity to continue whilst mitigating the damaging effects on factors like climate change, biodiversity loss and air pollution.
Circular activity can play a significant role in helping local authorities meet their environmental targets.
