Circular Communities Scotland is delighted to release our 2021 Impact Report, ‘Embracing a Circular Future’.
This is our first Impact Report as Circular Communities Scotland, and the first to truly reflect and gain insight into the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on our sector.
CEO of Circular Communities Scotland Michael Cook states:
‘Our survey of members shows that our sector is beginning to recover from an extremely challenging two years. Multiple lockdowns resulted in significant reduction in tonnage of waste saved from landfill and the equivalent CO2 savings. However, staff numbers are up, and turnover has been sustained, mostly due to government support. Importantly, we are happy to see an increase in confidence from our members regarding their organisation’s recovery.
It is always inspiring to see the work of our members and even more so during times of difficulty. This report includes 9 case studies from a wide range of our members demonstrating the social, environmental, and economic benefits of their work. I’d like to extend a big thank you to our members who contributed to this report by offering their case studies for inclusion.
This is a critical time for Scotland as we continue to face the twin crises of our time – recovery from the pandemic and tacking climate change. We are delighted to have the first ever Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Ms. Lorna Slater, support this report, as we galvanise ourselves and others, redoubling our efforts to embrace a circular future.’
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Ms. Lorna Slater states:
‘The period covered by this Impact Report has been without precedent this 21st century. The challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and by the actions to combat it have affected the sector’s ability to provide their services to local communities.
It is heartening that, despite these difficulties, circular communities have seized on the opportunities to build back a fairer and greener society. As the case studies in this Report show, they still managed to deliver significant contributions toward re-use, repair and refurbishment opportunities for an increasing range of items, whilst also providing other valuable services to local communities.
I welcome these efforts and huge successes in tackling resource use, building the circular economy and growing green jobs.’
The Circular Communities Scotland team would like to thank our members, over 160 of whom took part in the research which formed the basis of this report, and to our individual members who provided case studies to share their resilience, ingenuity and care for their communities and the planet over the last 12 months: Green Hive, Scottish Men’s Sheds Association, SHRUB Coop, St Andrews Environmental Network, Aberdeen Climate Action, Stitch the Gap, COPE Ltd, Just Cycle and Border Bikes, as well as our own Reuse Consortium.