Helping businesses in manufacturing become more circular
Author
With decades of experience helping manufacturers move to more circular practices, Colin Kennedy, Zero Waste Scotland’s Manufacturing Lead, shares his advice on how you can start.
What does being circular really mean for manufacturing? It’s about extending the lifespan of assets, recovering high-value materials, and remanufacturing products to keep them in use for as long as possible.
Approaching circularity
One practical approach is Product-as-a-Service. Instead of selling equipment outright, businesses offer it as a service, retaining ownership while generating rental income over time. This model reduces waste and creates recurring revenue.
Takeback schemes are another option, where customers receive discounts on new purchases when returning old equipment. Ultimately, the best people to manage these assets are often the ones who made them in the first place.
How circular practices can strengthen your offering
A common misconception is that adopting circular practices is expensive. The right changes can save money and improve your bottom line. Think of it like installing an energy-efficient lightbulb: the upfront cost may be higher, but the savings quickly add up.
Circularity isn’t one-size-fits-all. Whilst Product-as-a-Service works best for high-value items, smaller components can still create opportunities. For instance, offering emergency repairs and maintenance for infrastructure adds value for customers and creates new revenue streams.
Supply chain
The cost of raw materials is a major factor in what will make the economic argument. If the price of buying raw materials keeps rising, or there is scarcity of supply and you must bid for things and compete on a global market, it’s hard. If there is a way of life extending these assets, or upgrading them, you save money.
For example, you might be taking a vehicle and replacing petrol with electric. The carcass of everything is there, so you’re just upgrading. That would be the same with generators, pumps, and this type of equipment Organisations in Scotland are doing this and have been doing it for a long time. It’s just about finding opportunities for others.
Parts
Of course, there isn’t a one size that fits all approach for everyone. Service as a product is harder for lower value items, but for higher value or fast-moving stock it’s possible.
However, for things such as parts this is possible and one example I like is that a single gearbox failure can stop production, so offering fully remanufactured parts combined with rapid‑response swaps and predictive maintenance creates a high‑value service model. This not only delivers new revenue but keeps materials circulating for longer, strengthening the circular economy
Support from Zero Waste Scotland
Zero Waste Scotland can help with this journey. We have data and evidence to support businesses looking to make strides in circularity. We can also provide resources to help influence decision-makers and meet procurement requirements for circularity, which could become essential for staying competitive.
Ready to take the next step? Explore our Business Information Hub for tools, data, and support to help your manufacturing business unlock the economic benefits of going circular.