Building the circular economy: sustainable technologies, green skills and upscaling behaviours
Project Lead
Challenges
Scotland has ambitious targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045. As part of this, the Scottish Government is working towards a suite of targets tackling waste generation and disposal by 2025, with a longer-term vision to move towards a circular economy benefiting the environment, the economy, and communities.
Circular economy principles involve a transition from a linear ‘take, make and dispose of’ model of consumption to a more circular model which emphasises material flows, recovery of resources and components, and valorisation of waste products. In the circular economy, our approach to consumption will require new behaviours (of individuals households and businesses) focusing on reducing the volumes of resources consumed, reusing items, repairing instead of replacing items, refurbishing, and remanufacturing to create new products, and recycling what remains.
The transition to a more circular economy necessitates a systemic way of thinking and acting that interconnects people and communities, industries and infrastructure, and institutional and policy governance. However, before a transition can take place, a clearer understanding of the willingness and readiness of people and places, infrastructure, and institutions, to advance on the path is required.
Questions
- Where do opportunities for new types of jobs exist, both geographically and sectorally?
- What is the scale of opportunity in different sectors and regions, and how might this link to the wider rural economy?
- What type of skills would be needed to fulfil the needs of these jobs and what training may need to be made available for people to develop the necessary skills?
Solutions
This project aims to tackle the systematic interconnections to effectively upscale behaviours into regional circular economy models for rural and island economies.
Case studies and stakeholders
We are developing appropriate case studies and identifying and undertaking consultation with stakeholders. These case studies are informed by the current evidence on circular economy interventions across the globe with a focus on success stories and the design of case studies. This is being achieved via a rapid desk-based literature review and interviews with stakeholders in other countries providing a comparable context to the Scottish situation. We are also developing case studies which take a ‘Living Lab’ style approach, whereby researchers are working with local communities to identify the drivers and barriers to behaviours of people and businesses, and the interventions most suitable to local circumstances towards behavioural change.
Circular Economy readiness mapping: Business, technologies, and innovation
This project is delivering knowledge and technology innovation related to circular economy transitioning focusing on organisational, technological, and environmental parameters to compare availability and development potential in each of the case studies. Organisational factors include resources and capabilities to support changes towards sustainable practices, technological factors refer to attributes of the technological innovations such as their relative advantage or complexity, while environmental parameters concern the setting in which CE transition occurs, such as changes in demand and policies. This research provides an assessment of circular economy innovation readiness in several sectors and industries dominant in the selected case studies, with a focus on construction and demolition waste reduction.
We identify and rank the most efficient ways to prevent waste through the uptake of new technology and changes towards sustainable building practices. Specifically for the case of the construction and demolition industry, we combine in-depth interviews with industry stakeholders and social network analysis to identify:
- Pockets of shared behaviour to determine barriers and enablers to uptake of new technology and practice.
- Economic and environmental (carbon footprint) cost efficiency analysis of alternative technologies/practices.
- Behavioural choice experiments to identify industry stakeholders’ preferences towards alternative technologies and practices to tackle sources of significant waste.
Drivers and barriers to and feasibility of uptake of CE technologies and practices by businesses are being analysed in the context of innovation business.
Circular Economy readiness mapping: Green skills
We are also mapping readiness in terms of skills gaps and training and job opportunities linked to the transition to a circular economy. This identifies opportunities towards a greening of skills from local communities to the wider rural and island economy. Adding to this, an input-output type of analysis of labour and skills at the Scotland level is being undertaken. The combined bottom-up and top-down approach allow a strategic design for geographical and sectoral mapping of opportunities towards a greening of skills from local communities to the wider rural and island economy. The mapping builds on and ensures compatibility with the Scottish Government ‘Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland: 2019–2021’ and the ‘Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan 2020-2025.’
Circular Economy willingness mapping: Behaviours
The project is providing a better understanding of the drivers and barriers to adopting circular economy behaviours and the most feasible types of policy interventions to incentivise both individual and business behaviours. A rapid assessment of the evidence in terms of good practice examples across the globe, of direct or indirect circular economy relevance and applicability to the circumstances of the Scottish situation, will be undertaken. We are designing a conceptual framework built on behavioural theories and tested using techniques for analysis of causality and choice and behavioural typology. This allows the tailoring of interventions to population segments differentiated by demographics and protected characteristics. Choice experiments focus on ranking community preferences for a transition towards a circular economy on ‘traditional’ growth pathways and alternative growth pathways. This will capitalise on the growing awareness of the private sector on green finance. In sum, we are identifying policy actions to incentivise and aid behaviour changes necessary to transition towards a circular economy model.
Circular Economy building: System dynamics and pathways scenarios
All the project activities are being brought together to inform models to estimate the impact of potentially successful interventions under simulation growth scenarios. These models provide insights into the impact of stakeholder co-designed circular economy readiness and willingness mapped at the regional level into case study-tailored circular economy models for rural and island economies.
Project Partners
Progress
The research completed during the first year feeds into all objectives, namely to (1) provide evidence for a better understanding of Circular Economy (CE) readiness in terms of green technologies and green skills; and (2) CE willingness in terms of individual and business behaviour; (3) map CE readiness and willingness in rural and island case studies and industries (e.g., construction); and (4) build regional CE system dynamic models under alternative growth pathways scenarios.
An assessment of the current evidence on CE interventions across the globe with a focus on success stories has been completed based on a rapid desk-based literature review and in-depth interviews with research/policy/industry stakeholders in other countries providing a comparable context to the Scottish situation. The assessment includes background research to develop an understanding of the CE potential in terms of people, businesses, and infrastructure/technology/finance/economy. The assessment is accompanied by a policy briefing on enabling CE initiatives in rural and island Scotland.
The case study protocol introducing a 'Living Lab' style approach, whereby the researchers work with the local communities to identify the drivers and barriers to behaviours of people and businesses and the interventions most suitable to local circumstances towards behavioural change i.e., uptake of a co-designed circular economy model on the islands, has been completed. Interviews on CE readiness and networks have been organised with business stakeholders operating in the construction sector in the case study areas. A qualitative assessment of green skills gaps and opportunities has been completed, based on a review of the academic and policy literature, and an overview of green skills/labour data available.
A rapid assessment of the evidence in terms of good practice examples across the globe, of direct or indirect CE relevance and applicable to the circumstances of the Scottish situation has been completed. The review provides a better understanding of the drivers and barriers to adopting CE behaviours and the most feasible types of policy interventions to incentivise both individual and business behaviours. A mapping exercise of the waste flows in Scotland following a sector-based approach and the waste hierarchy, where causality from drivers and incentive mechanisms is represented through balancing loops in a causal loop diagram, has been completed, and links into the systems dynamic modelling framework to be built in year 3 of the project.
The research has been progressing under close cooperation with policy and industry stakeholders, who are directly involved through case study design and implementation, and a stakeholder advisory group including representatives of North Ayrshire Council, Zero Waste Scotland, Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, and Skills Development Scotland. Quarterly and biannual interactions with policy and the stakeholder steering group on Circular Economy and Net Zero policy have been organised. Further meetings with the North Ayrshire Council have been organised as well as a visit to Arran and Cumbrae Islands. A presentation of the project activities has been given to the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) Rural Group meeting.
All published outputs can be found on the project webpage.
The research aim and objectives for the second annual reporting period have been achieved.
A feasibility report has been completed on the project's objectives and workplan linking into regional circular economy policies through stakeholder engagement and use of regional data to (1) map circular economy willingness and technological/cost readiness of businesses in the construction/demolition sector; (2) assess circular economy willingness/readiness of local/regional population through demand for sustainable packaging, and (3) supply of green skilled labour; and (4) map sectoral readiness for circular economy and waste related policy interventions and assessment of economic and environmental effects.
Following mapping and social network analyses in the construction/demolition sector performed during the first year, cost and life cycle analyses based on interviews with construction and demolition waste management companies and primary data on cost and carbon footprint of alternative processes were completed. Analysis of construction and demolition scenarios led to a comparison between the carbon footprint of incinerator bottom ash recycling and that of alternative disposal, and between the costs of natural and alternative aggregates. Liaising with regional policy stakeholders, evaluation of household/commercial waste/recycling processes, and efficiency assessment of waste recycling/collection patterns is being implemented as part of research planned for Year 3.
An input output model focused on the demand and supply of green labour has been developed to assess the green skills gaps and employment opportunities linked to the transition to circular economy based on secondary data at higher level of aggregation, and regional estimates. The analysis was complemented by a causal loop qualitative exercise mapping geographical and sectoral opportunities matching green jobs demand/supply towards the greening of skills in the island economies. The map is being translated into a system dynamic model, research feeding into work planned for year 3. Following a gender study on green skills and competitiveness, a green skills typology questionnaire was designed as an additional piece of research for a survey to be implemented during year 3.
Based on the rapid assessment of the evidence in terms of good practice examples of direct/indirect circular economy relevance and applicable to the Scottish circumstances completed during year 1, a conceptual framework has been designed consistent with behavioural theories and techniques for causality and choice analysis allowing tailoring of interventions to differentiated population segments. The structural choice models are applied to the case of single use plastic cups and circular packaging, with collection of survey data completed, to be analysed during year 3. The research involving an intensive collaboration with stakeholders had a delayed start of the data collection and analysis, all on track following agreed rescheduling.
Based on the mapping exercise of waste flows in Scotland following a sector-based approach and the waste hierarchy to identify causality linkages between drivers and incentive mechanisms, a system dynamic model has been designed to assess the economic and environmental impacts of waste prevention policy mechanisms. A participatory analysis has commenced with a group model building workshop designed in collaboration with regional policy stakeholders as part of research planned for year 3.
The research has been progressing under close cooperation with policy and industry stakeholders, who are directly involved through case study design and implementation, and a stakeholder advisory group including representatives of North Ayrshire Council, Zero Waste Scotland, Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, and Skills Development Scotland. Quarterly and biannual interactions with policy and respectively, the stakeholder steering group on circular economy and net zero policy have been organised, with a further meeting with the North Ayrshire Council during a visit to Arran and Cumbrae Islands (March). Members of the team have been invited to participate on expert panels on low carbon modelling (European Commission), the Multidisciplinary Working Group on Applying Behavioural Science to Food Loss and Waste Reduction (Food and Agriculture Organization), and to give a talk on circular economy to policy audiences (EURAGRI). Additional funding has been secured from Zero Waste Scotland in projects on waste behaviours modelling, assessment of deep beliefs to waste behaviours, and waste redistribution.
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