The Scottish Government Circular Economy Strategy

Recycling helps the Earth and environment more than the average person realizes. Conserving energy, or finding more efficient and more eco friendly ways of getting energy also helps keep the Earth healthy. If more people recycle and factories and industries reuse their materials, the hunt for more raw materials will not be as necessary and harmful to the Earth. A lot of materials are not reused and instead new materials have to be brought in and that wastes not only materials but energy too. Recycling steel could reduce energy uses by 60% and easily help conserve a lot of energy. A ton of companies use steel so it would not be very difficult to do. A form of recycling that is not very well known is burning trash instead of burying it the way we do in the U.S.. Sweden practices this concept and their theory is that the majority of the things they burn in the fire were part of the carbon cycle not very long ago so it is as if they are speeding up the carbon cycle without hurting their environment. This plan also is helpful

GREENER - Improve Scotland's natural and built environment and the sustainable use and enjoyment of it.” Scottish government (2007)

“Recycle”, “reuse”, “repurpose” are words often spoken as the world grapples with the ever increasing burden daily life is placing on the environment. Everything - from the cars we drive, to the electricity used to power appliances and other conveniences, to the clothes we wear and the foods we consume – affects the environment around us. Natural resources are being depleted and the purity of the air we breathe and the water we drink is being compromised – a result of creativity and progress in an effort to improve our lives. Throughout the past several years, the government has offered tax credits to promote implementation of products aimed at reducing environmental impacts.

The infrastructure is not at present in place to permit efficient recycling of materials from old product to new. These materials include metal, polymers, refrigerant gas and glass. This situation is due largely to a culture of indifference from Governmental and regulatory agencies at present. The use of natural capital is unsustainable with the culture of supply of what the customer wants and not what they need, this is at present a cultural problem. This has a detrimental impact on the ecosystem.

[6] A. J. East, "What is a Carbon Footprint? An overview of definitions and methodologies,"

“Going green” is the spread of knowledge and practicing environmentally and ecologically friendly habits. It is providing tips and ways to be involved in sustainable living. This concept uses the terms reduce, reuse, and recycle. Goodwill exploits these skills. Their business revolves around collecting unwanted things and selling it to be used again. Most people shop there not knowing that they are doing their part and recycling. Job training comes into play because they teach individuals in their community skills that also enhance the recycling process. They teach them how to analyze objects, repair them, and determine decent prices. This is an investment for not only their industry but in the economic health of their community. Goodwill teamed up with Dell to formulate the Reconnect program. Dell describes the program as a program that puts "technology and jobs back into the hands of those who need them most” (Johnson). The program started in 2004 and opened 250 jobs. Reconnect allows people to donate old computers, this donation helps allow “technology, education, training and career services” to people who need extra help” (Johnson). This program abstracted more that 96 million pounds of potential waste. Both Dell and Goodwill meet high standards for workplace and environmental

The industry can be very susceptible to environmental issues together with other manufacturers. With the advent of campaigns toward saving the environment and “going green”, the society is now more concerned with how the industry’s wastes and other by-products are being managed. Using recycled materials and recycling one’s wastes can affect the industry’s over-all image as an environmental advocate.

To a regular person, the global concern about ‘going green’ might appear as a result of speculation from nervous politicians and alarmed citizens. But the reality is totally different. In recent years, businesses have gained much knowledge about the impact of their activities on environment and in turns their customers. Businesses are successively venturing to earn greater revenues. In this process, they are trying out every best possibility to entice their contributors- from customers to investors. Regardless to say, stakeholders these days are more socially responsible than ever. So to keep up to their expectations, businesses are also trying to expand or limit their activities to save the environment- from doing relentless research on lowering waste to lean management and even trying out various eco-friendly activities. Despite of all these, the ultimate question remains unanswered if it is financially beneficial to adapt those initiatives that is going to serve the

The second policy that is directly relevant to the first objective aims for BHP Billiton to endure to “set and achieve targets that promote efficient use of resources and include reducing and preventing pollution”. By improving waste management practices, including waste minimalisation, recycling and pollution prevention through proper disposal, BHP is able to obey by national and international waste management regulations and maximise the recovery of resources to maximise efficiency and overall minimise the environmental impact.

This company has implemented so many different methods for going green, therefore I will be only discussing two as follows; the first strategy is a slogan that is being used by the organization on a regular basis called by the name; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. All the stores that the company has have taken the initiative to reduce the impact we as human beings create on the earth by reducing paper by going paper less, composting, using vegetable based inks etc. Reuse- this is done by reusing materials whenever it becomes possible. The company provides the use of reusable grocery bags to its customers, new stores are constructed with reclaimed wood and bricks and also the installation of rain water collection systems to reuse rain water for non-consumable purposes is being practiced. Recycle- this is done through the utilization of the delivery trucks which backhauls waste to regional facilities where it is turned into compost and donated to community gardens or stores. Other methods of recycling is done by replacing disposable batteries with rechargeable ones, using recycled paper with a high percentage of post-consumer waste

The recycling industry is already prominent and constantly growing. The impact it has on the American economy

Everyone knows that recycling has been a big issue around the world. Recycling is a way to help the planet and save it for the next generations to come. It saves a lot of natural resources because every time you throw something into the recycling centre, part of that is reused on a future product. Currently, endless amounts of plastics bottles, aluminium cans and cardboard ends up in the landfill. For example, when someone throws an aluminium can into the recycling bin, 25% of of the aluminium can be made into a new can, and just the material itself can light one 100-watt bulb for 20 hours or run a television for 3 hours. However, if we don’t recycle the can, it will just be sent to the landfill area and take up

The Scottish Government has set up suitable programmes to create a sustainable environment through the Sustainable Glasgow initiative. This initiative is set up to deliver a project programme that the main plan is to develop the economy by making direct contact with the city, people and businesses to open up more investments and help tackle possible challenges. This development is believed to be the factor to the major drive to improvement of Glasgow’s future economy, environment and its social aspect (Glasgow.gov.uk, 2014a).

As the world transits from the linear economy which is no longer sustainable in view of the limitations posed by the cost implications of acquiring untapped resources, declining quantity of resources or the environmental challenges it poses, to the circular economy, opportunities will be created for building the resource resilience of communities in the UK (Green Alliance, 2013). Likewise, there is a growing price volatility associated with obtaining raw materials to support industrial production, hence the rising product costs and its attendant increases in the cost of living

This is the future for business, the Circular Economy will not only enable businesses to tap into new sources of value, but help forge resilient markets and supply chains capable of delivering long-term sustainable prosperity. The World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey suggest this circular transition represents a $1tn opportunity for the global economy. As such, it presents a significant opportunity for businesses and consumers alike to move away from our traditional linear ‘take, make, and waste’ economy towards a circular model.” (Perella 2015)