Design for circular economy: Developing an action plan for Scotland

In Europe, concern regarding environmental degradation, resource scarcity and price volatility brought about through traditional linear production methods, coupled with the need to enhance the global competitiveness of European business has led to an increased focus on creating the framework conditions for a transition to a circular economy. Transition from a linear to circular economy is not straightforward and there are very few existing examples of the transposition of the EU's ‘Circular Economy Action Plan’ into national or regional policy. This article reports on a project undertaken in Scotland to develop tangible and realistic policy proposals, aligning market and government needs in order to create favourable conditions for the public and private sector to adopt circular principles. Established theory on innovation ecosystems was adapted to map a ‘Design for a Circular Economy’ ecosystem in Scotland. Actions to build on system strengths and address weaknesses were co-developed through interviews, workshops and peer review with key stakeholders in the ecosystem. Twelve actions were developed addressing four major themes: business support and finance; skills and education; promotion and awareness; and policy and regulation. The actions varied in scope from groundwork, through instigating change to systemic change. The article concludes by summarising a number of good practices drawn from the experience in Scotland that may be used in other countries looking to develop a circular economy policy framework.