Today (16 November) sees Circular Glasgow embark on a recruitment campaign designed to facilitate 50 Glasgow based businesses to prepare for the future.
Circular Glasgow, hosted by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, will connect with companies across the city helping them to open up new revenue streams, increase competitive advantage and realise financial savings using a range of practical tools.
The team aims to complete 50 Circle Assessments by the end of 2018 using an online tool created by Circle Economy, global market leaders based in the Netherland’s. The initiative will look at different ways businesses can innovate and incorporate new design and technology, thinking through the adoption of new business models, including circular economy strategies.
A circular economy is one in which every product is created with the intent of extending its life span – a direct challenge to the ‘take, make, dispose’ mentality.
Alison McRae, Senior Director of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said: “We are delighted to be at the implementation stage of Circular Glasgow where we can start to get more businesses across the city involved to help them innovate and future-proof their business.
“Glasgow’s ambition is to position itself as a leading circular city. With Circular Glasgow’s programme of practical engagement tools, and with the ongoing support of Zero Waste Scotland, we aim to inspire organisations to embrace new business models helping them to design for the future.”
Circular Glasgow complements Zero Waste Scotland’s and the Scottish Government’s nationwide support for SMEs to develop circular economy business ideas, including its £18million Circular Economy Investment Fund and Circular Economy Business Support Service. Both are supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the £73million Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Accelerator Programme.
Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Executive, said: “Circular Glasgow is an innovative approach to maximise circular opportunities on a large scale. This is about connecting businesses in Glasgow across sectors to find opportunities in materials once thought of as waste. Simply put, for businesses this can mean turning a cost into a possible revenue stream.
“Working together in innovative ways will set the foundations for a future where economic buoyancy is achieved through inclusive, sustainable growth. I’m delighted Glasgow is set to become a front-runner in these efforts and look forward to what’s to come.”
Whether an organisation has already started to implement circular strategies, or has just begun its transformation, the online Circle Assessments create a simple way to diagnose how current practices match up to circular objectives, while identifying new opportunities, at no cost to the business.
A collaboration, already set up as part of the campaign, resulted in the first ever Scottish beer to be made from leftover bread, using Aulds unsold morning rolls to create Jaw Brew’s Hardtack beer.
Aulds supplies its bread on a sale or return basis to retailers, and through the new partnership surplus is now given to Jaw Brew to ensure any waste is reused.
The team will also be hosting Circle Workshops across the year, focusing on specific industry sectors.
Interested businesses are invited to attend a Circular Glasgow information event on Wednesday December 6 to understand how they could benefit directly. Register at www.circularglasgow.com