Zero Waste Scotland publishes the nation’s most in-depth Material Flow Accounts to date
Zero Waste Scotland publishes the nation’s most in-depth Material Flow Accounts to date, highlighting risks to Scotland’s resource resilience.
New research from Zero Waste Scotland reveals Scotland’s reliance on imports, with nearly half (43%) of all materials and two-thirds (66%) of the critical raw materials it needs coming from overseas - highlighting the economy's exposure to global supply chain disruption.
This means that Scotland is dependent on materials from elsewhere to support essential sectors - such as construction, food, energy, and manufacturing – leaving the economy exposed to global shocks.
Scotland's latest Material Flow Account Report
The startling findings come from Scotland’s most in-depth, sector level Material Flow Accounts (MFA) to date - the most comprehensive assessment of how materials move through Scotland’s economy, including extraction and imports, production and consumption, and exports and waste.
To understand the magnitude of these figures, the MFA found that Scotland required 200 million tonnes of material inputs in 2020 - the equivalent of 37 tonnes for each person - to support everything we produce, consume, and export.
Yet only 11 tonnes of this figure are visible in everyday products - like the food we consume, the clothes we buy and wear, the buildings we live in, the cars we drive, etc - with the remaining 26 tonnes embedded in the wider economy, largely to produce goods and resources for export to support the wider economy.
Zero Waste Scotland’s latest data reinforces the case for Scotland’s transition to a circular economy, in which we reduce our reliance on imported materials by keeping resources in use for longer. Circularity strengthens national resilience and sustainable prosperity by lowering carbon emissions, driving economic growth and innovation, and increasing supply chain durability.
Ciaran McGuigan, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said:
“The findings of our latest Material Flow Accounts underline the true scale of Scotland’s reliance on materials - and how the things we see in our daily lives are only part of the story.
For every product we use, many more materials flow through the wider economy to sustain it – showing the reality of Scotland’s resource use.
Encouragingly, this data also shows us where the opportunities lie - in turn, shaping Zero Waste Scotland’s focus on the areas where we’re turning insight into practical action.
By embracing circular economy practices across the board, Scotland can reduce its demand for raw materials, cut emissions, and build a more resilient, sustainable economy for the future.”
For the first time, using a more refined methodology, the MFA provides a full sector by sector breakdown of Scotland’s material use, carbon emissions, and wider environmental impacts. Through this, it’s clear where demand is highest and, crucially, where circular economy actions and practices can have the greatest impact in cutting resource use, reducing emissions, and improving resilience.
Scotland’s biggest drivers of material use and environmental impact are identified in the MFA as fossil fuels and related products, processed food, machinery and equipment, and metals and castings - sectors that underpin the country’s energy system, manufacturing, and food supply.
What's next?
These findings directly align with the priority sectors set out in the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy, including the built environment, energy infrastructure, textiles, transport, and food systems.
Work is already well underway in addressing these focus areas, including Zero Waste Scotland’s recently published built environment Roadmap, aimed at driving change across construction and infrastructure; the energy infrastructure Roadmap, which sets out how to embed circularity across energy systems; and established Mission Boards for both - featuring a cross-sector group of experts who will work together to align effort, remove friction, and drive change across complex systems. Bioeconomy and textiles roadmaps to circularity are in development and will be published in 2027.
This latest report is further proof that trough collective action, grounded in evidence and sustained delivery, the circular economy can be achieved at scale.