Roadmap and Mission Board set direction for Scotland’s circular built environment
A new industry-led Mission Board has convened to help drive circular change across Scotland’s built environment, as Zero Waste Scotland publishes a new Roadmap to support the sector.
The Built Environment Roadmap to Circularity sets out a long-term vision for a highly efficient sector addressing carbon emissions, improving material reuse, and reducing waste and environmental impacts, while maintaining its role as a significant employer and contributor to the Scottish economy.
Launched by the sector-led Mission Board at its first workshop, the framework is the second in a series of priority sector Roadmaps developed by Zero Waste Scotland to support the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy. The Mission Board is a key intervention set out in the Roadmap, harnessing industry expertise to drive sustainable economic, environmental, and social growth.
Built Environment Roadmap to Circularity
Construction and demolition activity account for around half of all waste produced in Scotland, while outputs linked to these activities are estimated to have made up around 10% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. The Roadmap has been developed to address these challenges, and to help accelerate circular practices to support a sustainable sector that can thrive both within our economy and the limits of our finite planetary resources.
The Roadmap is underpinned by extensive collaboration with the sector, with the establishment of the Mission Board one of 12 key interventions supported by stakeholder engagement and extensive systems analysis. These also include expanding material reuse infrastructure, improving access to circular products and services, embedding circularity into procurement and policy, and working with insurers and finance partners to remove barriers to adopting circular practices.
Ciaran McGuigan, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said:
“Scotland is entering a critical phase in our transition to a circular economy, with an opportunity now to take bold action to deliver our ambitions and reach our economic goals.
“The built environment sector has a vital role to play in this transition, and by designing out waste, keeping materials in use for longer, and making the most of the resources we already have, we can strengthen supply chains and create new economic opportunities across Scotland.
“This Roadmap sets a clear direction for how change can happen, and the Mission Board will bring together the vital expertise and vision needed to drive it forward and turn Scotland’s circular economy ambitions into long-term, large-scale action.”
Mission Board
Providing the platform for sector-led co-ordinated action, the Mission Board will drive the built environment Roadmap forward, bringing together expertise from across the industry to help embed circular economy practices in the way Scotland designs, constructs, and manages our buildings and infrastructure.
Chaired by Director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sean Smith, representatives also include the Association of British Insurers (ABI), British Standards Institution (BSI), Built Environment Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Scottish Building Federation (SBF), Scotland Excel, Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA), Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE), Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Supply Chain Sustainability School, and The Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS).
Professor Sean Smith, Mission Board Chair and Director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh, said:
“I am delighted to see the formation of the built environment Mission Board.
“This is a sector which continuously underpins much of our economy, communities and society and can play a pivotal role in the acceleration of circular economy practices and outcomes, providing a positive legacy for our current and future generations.”
