Photo looking across the Edinburgh skyline

Circular Edinburgh 

13 Apr 23 2 minute read

With its diverse economy, the Edinburgh region can reap economic, social, and environmental benefits by incorporating circular economy principles.

Traditional business models have failed to derive maximum benefits from the materials used and by-products produced, leading to the disposal of many tonnes of potential feedstocks in landfill.

This practice is not only environmentally unsustainable, but it also reduces the economic performance of Edinburgh’s economy. As a result of analyzing Edinburgh's economy and its material flows, a long list of circular economy opportunities was discovered.

Circular economy opportunities in Edinburgh

This report, delivered in partnership with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, seeks to identify circular economy opportunities relevant to the capital city. To identify these opportunities, we analysed the material flows and waste generated within the city, the current economic makeup of the city, and relevant local policies and strategies.

We engaged with local stakeholders to understand where circularity could complement other activity and offer opportunities for business growth, economic resilience, and carbon reduction. Initially identified opportunities from the research have been prioritised based on a set of criteria including job creation potential, carbon savings, and scalability - as well as a shortlist of five 'target' opportunities.

Five target opportunities

The five most beneficial opportunities were selected for further investigation to determine the potential benefits for the Edinburgh region. These opportunities cross many of the significant sectors of the Edinburgh economy from tourism (festivals), information communication technology (ICT) and manufacturing.

  1. Knowledge Hub: By leveraging the world-class tertiary education institutions of Edinburgh, we can create a Circular Economy Knowledge Hub that can provide solutions to many of the current 'waste' flows.
  2. ICT refurbishment and remanufacture: The ICT sector is expanding and, by using refurbished components, this sector can benefit economically and reduce the environmental impact of the industry. Reclaiming precious metals and materials from obsolete stock can also be achieved by cutting edge technology and processes.
  3. Alcohol by-products: Edinburgh is home to many breweries and distilleries where the current practice is to transfer the by-products of these processes to animal feed. There are numerous opportunities to maximise the economic benefits of these products through extracting proteins and using spent grains in human food production.
  4. Hospitality, events and festivals: Edinburgh's twelve festivals also offer the opportunity to hold these in a more circular manner, including reducing the use of single-use cups and containers, and reusing stage props and costumes. 
  5. Facilities management: By servitising products like light and furniture, Edinburgh can create a more circular supply chain within its significant office space and improve the city's performance economically.