Public Procurement
Exploring the application of circular public procurement policy in Scotland.
Procurement’s role in Scotland’s transition to a Circular Economy
Public procurement is an important lever for supporting Scotland's transition to a circular economy. Through its purchasing decisions, the public sector can influence how goods, services and works are designed, delivered and managed. Scotland's public sector spends billions of pounds each year on procurement. Linear models of consumption continue to drive waste generation, carbon emissions and the loss of valuable resources, limiting opportunities to maximise value from products and materials over their lifetime.
No single intervention will deliver a circular economy. Achieving this transition will require a range of complementary measures, including embedding circular procurement practices into everyday purchasing processes in line with relevant legislation. Product stewardship also has an important role, seeking to improve outcomes across a product's lifecycle.
Procurement will play an important role in delivering both the Built Environment Roadmap to Circularity and the Energy Infrastructure Roadmap to Circularity. As one of several policy and market levers, it can help stimulate demand for circular products, services and business models while encouraging more efficient use of materials and resources.
Strengthening the evidence base for circular public procurement
To explore how existing powers within the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 could support circular procurement policy, Zero Waste Scotland commissioned research to identify potential opportunities.
The work was completed in two phases. The Phase 2 report brings together the findings across both reports. It provides an overview of the scope, methods and key findings from Phase 1, alongside detailed results from Phase 2. The Phase 1 report is available for supplementary technical information.
Explore the key findings from the Phase 1 and Phase 2 reports below.
Phase 1: Identifying opportunities for circular public procurement
Phase 1 assessed public procurement spend across Scotland and explored where circular procurement measures available through sections 82 and 82A of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 could have the greatest impact. The research developed an approach to help decide what procurement categories to focus on, taking into account spending, opportunities to use more recycled materials, potential for circular business models and the broader benefits for the economy, people and the environment.
Key findings
- Public procurement offers a significant opportunity to influence markets and support circular economy outcomes through public spending.
- The research identified several procurement categories as having strong potential for circular interventions, including furniture and soft furnishings, clothing, highway equipment and materials, construction materials, domestic goods and stationery.
- There were opportunities to increase demand for products containing recycled content and to encourage repair, refurbishment, remanufacture and reuse.
- The findings highlighted the importance of procurement skills, market readiness and better data to support wider adoption of circular procurement practices.
- These findings were used as a foundation for a more detailed assessment of priority categories in Phase 2.
Phase 2: Assessing Practical Application
Phase 2 involved a detailed assessment of priority categories to explore how circular procurement approaches could be applied in practice. The research reviewed Scottish, UK and international approaches and assessed the feasibility and potential impact of a range of circular procurement measures.
Key findings
- Construction materials, ICT hardware and construction works were identified as priority areas with significant potential for circular procurement approaches.
- The research explored opportunities to increase recycled content and encourage circular practices such as reuse, repairability, refurbishment, remanufacture, take-back schemes and product-as-a-service models.
- Different sectors were found to have varying levels of market maturity, requiring tailored approaches to implementation.
- Capacity building, supplier engagement, traceability and data collection were identified as important factors for successful delivery.
- The findings provide an evidence base to inform future consideration of how the existing procurement powers available through sections 82 and 82A of the Climate Change Act (Scotland) 2009 can support Scotland’s transition to a circular economy.
Find out more
This research forms part of Zero Waste Scotland's wider work on circular procurement. Looking to embed circular economy principles into procurement activities? Explore our circular procurement guidance, tools, case studies and resources to support implementation across your organisation.
