Roadmap and Mission Board set direction for circular transformation

The Built Environment Roadmap to Circularity sets out a long-term vision for a highly efficient sector addressing carbon emissions, improving material reuse, and reducing waste and environmental impacts, while maintaining its role as a significant employer and contributor to the Scottish economy.  

Launched by the sector-led Mission Board at its first workshop, the framework is the second in a series of priority sector Roadmaps developed by Zero Waste Scotland to support the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy. The Mission Board is a key intervention set out in the Roadmap, harnessing industry expertise to drive sustainable economic, environmental, and social growth. 

Construction and demolition activity account for around half of all waste produced in Scotland, while outputs linked to these activities are estimated to have made up around 10% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. The Roadmap has been developed to address these challenges, and to help accelerate circular practices to support a sustainable sector that can thrive both within our economy and the limits of our finite planetary resources.

The 12 interventions set out in the Roadmap to drive transformation are:

1. Mission Board: Establishing a Mission Board to lead delivery of this Roadmap’s mission to create a Circular Built environment sector in Scotland.  
2. Metrics and Evaluation: Optimising understanding and adoption of Circular Economy Practices across the built environment sector in Scotland.  
3. Building Standards: Working with the providers of building performance standards to include and promote Circular Economy Practices, as well as improve the reach and efficiency of standards across the built environment sector.  
4. Material Reuse Hubs: Developing a national hub infrastructure to enable the reuse of materials from the built environment.  
5. Products and Services: Broadening market access to innovative circular economy products and services in Scotland.  
6. Procurement: Utilising procurement as a mechanism to leverage the adoption of Circular Economy Practices.  
7. Insurance: Working with the insurance sector to develop insurance-based levers to encourage the uptake of Circular Economy Practices.  
8. Finance: Working with the finance sector to develop innovative finance mechanisms that incentivise uptake of Circular Economy Practices.  
9. Communication: Delivering a strategic communications campaign which promotes and normalises the embedding of Circular Economy Practices within the built environment sector.  
10. Policy: Integrating Circular Economy Practices into the policy and legislation frameworks which impact the built environment.  
11. Tax and Revenue: Identifying where tax and revenue levers could be used to incentivise the adoption of Circular Economy Practices.  
12. Demand Reduction: Identifying opportunities to reduce Scotland’s demand for materials and resources across all built environment activities.

The Roadmap is underpinned by extensive collaboration with the sector, with the establishment of the Mission Board one of 12 key interventions supported by stakeholder engagement and extensive systems analysis. These also include expanding material reuse infrastructure, improving access to circular products and services, embedding circularity into procurement and policy, and working with insurers and finance partners to remove barriers to adopting circular practices.

Providing the platform for sector-led co-ordinated action, the Mission Board will drive the built environment Roadmap forward, bringing together expertise from across the industry to help embed circular economy practices in the way Scotland designs, constructs, and manages our buildings and infrastructure. 

Chaired by director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sean Smith, representatives also include the Association of British Insurers (ABI), British Standards Institution (BSI), Built Environment-Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Scottish Building Federation (SBF), Scotland Excel, Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA), Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE), Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Supply Chain Sustainability School, and The Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS).

The current Mission Board members include:

• Alastair Ross, head of public policy, The Association of British Insurers (ABI) 
• Robbie McGregor, business development - Scotland, British Standards Institution (BSI) 
• Gavin Johnstone, associate director of collaborative and commercial partnerships, Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) 
• Dr Jocelyne Fleming, senior policy & public affairs officer for Scotland, Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) 
• Grant Montgomery, category manager, Scotland Excel 
• Billy Kirkwood, board chair, Scottish Building Federation 
• Gloria Lo, Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA) 
• Sandy Begbie, chief executive, Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) 
• Elaine Ellis, skills planning manager – construction and net zero, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) 
• Andrew Wilson, programmes manager, Supply Chain Sustainability School 
• Stuart Hay, head of outreach, Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS) 
• Professor Sean Smith (chair), director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure, University of Edinburgh 
• Lorraine Wood, head of sectors, Zero Waste Scotland 

Ciaran McGuigan, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Scotland is entering a critical phase in our transition to a circular economy, with an opportunity now to take bold action to deliver our ambitions and reach our economic goals. 

“The built environment sector has a vital role to play in this transition, and by designing out waste, keeping materials in use for longer, and making the most of the resources we already have, we can strengthen supply chains and create new economic opportunities across Scotland. 

“This Roadmap sets a clear direction for how change can happen, and the Mission Board will bring together the vital expertise and vision needed to drive it forward and turn Scotland’s circular economy ambitions into long-term, large-scale action.” 

Professor Sean Smith, Mission Board chair and director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh, said: “I am delighted to see the formation of the built environment Mission Board.  

“This is a sector which continuously underpins much of our economy, communities and society and can play a pivotal role in the acceleration of circular economy practices and outcomes, providing a positive legacy for our current and future generations.”