A major new initiative, to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Perthshire identify and capitalise on circular economy opportunities, launches today.
Circular Tayside is a joint initiative delivered by Zero Waste Scotland, Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce.
Tayside is one of four Scottish regions selected in 2018 to receive free support and project funding for local businesses. The Circular Tayside programme will deliver a range of local activities to help identify opportunities for local business, and direct them towards available support and funding. The initiative is backed by the Scottish Government and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A circular economy is one in which we eradicate waste by keeping resources and products in use for as long as possible. It offers opportunities to Scottish business to develop new products and services which promote repeated use, not single-use – for example: leasing, repair, or take-back services, or designing new products from another industry’s ‘waste’ through effective collaboration.
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said:
“I’m delighted today to announce Zero Waste Scotland is joining forces with Perthshire Chamber of Commerce and Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce to launch Circular Tayside, an ambitious initiative to unlock the potential for SMEs in the region, by thinking innovatively about business models.
“Circular Tayside is a terrific opportunity to help businesses in Tayside in making the transition to a circular economy, that has the potential to create jobs, support sustainable business models and help the environment and the economy. Across Scotland, a circular economy could generate £3 billion of annual benefits.
“Scotland is at the cutting edge of developing a more circular economy, and was recently chosen to host the Circular Economy Hotspot Scotland, a major international trade mission, taking place later this year. Businesses are already capitalising on the vast benefits of being circular and, through new business models, are finding untapped opportunities for innovation and increased profitability, whilst addressing the issue of resource pressures.”
Vicki Unite, Chief Executive, Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, said:
“This new partnership is a really exciting development which we’re delighted to be part of. There are so many opportunities for local businesses to access financial and business support and learn about how they could be involved in the Circular Economy, with potentially significant savings or new business opportunities. This area is for businesses of all sizes and many sectors and working with other businesses may provide the solution, so it’s well worth becoming involved and all partners are committed to supporting the Circular Tayside project.”
Alison Henderson, Chief Executive, Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said:
“This is a huge opportunity for businesses and the wider community in the Tay cities region. We’re delighted to be working in partnership to help local firms access the free support and funding that will be available to take circular economy opportunities forward. Whether a business can look to save on its costs, or create new revenue opportunities from working with waste from another business – these are all great economic opportunities for our businesses and our area.”
Circular Tayside complements Zero Waste Scotland’s nationwide support for SMEs to develop circular economy business ideas, including its £18million Circular Economy Investment Fundand Circular Economy Business Support Service.
The initiative is part of the Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, which will invest £27million in Scotland in circular economy projects until December 2019, thanks to support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Zero Waste Scotland leads on delivery of the £73 million Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, which aims to improve the economic performance of SMEs while at the same time reducing the impact of economic activity on the natural environment, supporting Scottish Government and EU policies.