Draft circular economy strategy: Fairer Scotland Duty summary

Summary of aims and expected outcomes of strategy, proposal, programme or policy

This Draft Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment has been prepared to accompany a public consultation on A Draft Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland (the Strategy).

The Scottish Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy as a means of addressing the climate and nature crises while delivering sustainable economic and social benefits. A circular economy keeps materials and products in use for as long as possible, thereby reducing demand for virgin resources, minimising waste, and maximising the value retained within the economy.

Around four-fifths of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products and services we manufacture^[1], use and throw away and 90% of global biodiversity loss and water stress is caused by extraction and processing of these products^[2]. The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a different approach to our economy, one where we move from a "take, make and dispose" model to one where we value materials and keep them in use for as long as possible^[3].

The Scottish Government has set climate change ambitions to become a net zero greenhouse gas emitting nation by 2045^[4]. Sustainable resource use is key to tackling climate change and will be vital for our efforts to reduce Scotland’s global carbon footprint, and for other sectors to deliver their own net zero goals.

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 places a statutory duty on Scottish Ministers to publish or revise a Circular Economy Strategy every five years. The Strategy is intended to provide a high-level framework for Scotland’s transition to a circular economy, setting out a broad vision and outcomes as well as priorities across policy mechanisms, priority sectors, and product stewardship and the monitoring and evaluation of the growth of Scotland’s Circular Economy via a Circular Economy Monitoring and Indicator Framework.

These priorities aim to support the Strategy “Vision” set out below:

“By 2045 Scotland will be a net zero and nature positive nation helped directly by the significant progress in transitioning towards a circular economy.

Scotland will have a thriving economy that meets societal needs and is based on circular economy principles, and we will have reduced the negative global impact of our production and consumption.

People, businesses and the public sector will have the skills and knowledge to benefit from opportunities arising from a circular economy and these will be fairly distributed across society.”

The Strategy builds on Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030. While the Route Map focuses on sustainable resource use and reducing the carbon impact of our waste, the Strategy sets out the strategic direction for the future and how circularity will be embedded across the economy by looking at sectors, systems and products. Future interventions that relate to the Strategy’s priorities may include policy proposals, potential legislative measures, and supporting activity to drive systemic change across production, consumption and disposal of materials and products in Scotland.

Policy context:

The development of the Strategy will align, as far as practicable, with key Scottish Government commitments, as set out below. The Strategy also reflects international commitments such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals^[5], the EU Circular Economy Action Plan^[6], and the Paris Agreement^[7].

The Scottish Government will also develop proposals for the introduction of circular economy targets following the publication of the Strategy and associated monitoring and indicator framework. This is also a requirement of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024.

The Strategy is already supported by, and will be connected to, a wide range of existing and planned circular economy policies, interventions and activities. These include investment in reuse and recycling infrastructure resulting from our Recycling Improvement Fund, or product stewardship initiatives such as the packaging extended producer responsibility scheme, the Deposit Return Scheme, or measures on other product types. The Strategy builds on existing and planned activities to set a clear direction for Scotland for the systemic change required to transition to a circular economy.

Interaction with other policies (draft or existing):

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024^[8]

The Act introduces measures that require primary legislation in Scotland’s transition towards a circular economy. The Act requires Scottish Ministers to publish a Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland every 5 years and to make new regulations to set circular economy targets.

Climate Change Plan (2020 update)^[9]

The Scottish Government publishes a statutory strategic delivery plan (the Climate Change Plan) every 5 years. The 2018 Climate Change Plan was updated in December 2020 in response to the global climate emergency. The current Climate Change Plan update^[10] sets out a pathway to reduce Scotland’s emissions over the period to 2032.

A new Climate Change Plan is forthcoming for the period 2026 to 2040.

Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET)^[11]

Scotland’s NSET sets out the priorities for Scotland’s economy as well as the actions needed to maximise the opportunities to 2032 to achieve the vision of a wellbeing economy. The NSET contains a vision for a Wellbeing Economy, ‘thriving across economic, social and environmental dimensions’, is supported by three ambitions, including ‘Greener: Demonstrating global leadership in delivering a just transition to a net zero, nature-positive economy, and rebuilding natural capital’. A number of priorities across the Strategy support the NSET.

Just Transition – A Fairer, Greener Scotland: Scottish Government response^[12]

In 2021, the Scottish Government published our response to the findings of the first Just Transition Commission. The response also comprised our National Just Transition Planning Framework, which was designed to ensure an ambitious and consistent to planning for a just transition. The framework continues to underpin the production of Just Transition Plans for different sectors and sites, all of which will support the aims of NSET.

The Good Food Nation Plan^[13]

In 2025 the Scottish Government published a proposed national Good Food Nation Plan (GFNP) which aims to bring greater consistency to food policy across Scotland and achieve the Good Food Nation vision for Scotland to be “a Good Food Nation, where people from every walk of life take pride and pleasure in, and benefit from, the food they produce, buy, cook, serve, and eat each day”. The proposed national Good Food Nation Plan was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 27th June 2025. The final version of the first Plan will be published at the end of 2025.

Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy to 2045: tackling the nature emergency^[14]

Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy and associated delivery plan recognises the need to ensure the range of actions we are undertaking are both complementary and coordinated as part of our overall efforts to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Environment Strategy^[15]

The Environment Strategy creates an overarching framework for Scotland’s strategies and plans for the environment and climate change. Its 2045 vision and supporting outcomes describe our guiding ambitions for restoring Scotland’s natural environment and playing our full role in tackling the global climate and nature crises. In turn, this will help to build a stronger, more resilient economy and improve the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s people. It will help to ensure we live within the planet’s sustainable limits as responsible global citizens. A consultation on a draft Environment Strategy closed on 29 September 2025 and responses are being considered^[16].

Green Industrial Strategy^[17]

The Green Industrial Strategy publication identifies areas of strength and opportunity for Scotland to grow globally competitive industries in the transition to net zero. It outlines what government and partners will do to support stakeholders to create an enabling environment for investment and growth. The Green Industrial Strategy’s mission is to ensure that Scotland realises the maximum possible economic benefit from the opportunities created by the global transition to net zero.

Litter and Flytipping Strategy^[18]

The National Litter and Flytipping Strategy sets out our approach to tackling litter and flytipping in order to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment; ensure safer and cleaner communities; and contribute to a thriving circular economy for Scotland. Litter and flytipping are losses of material from the economy, so reducing litter and flytipping will also help accelerate Scotland’s transition from a ‘linear’ economy, which is environmentally unsustainable and energy and resource intensive, to a more resource efficient and sustainable circular economy.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) and ongoing reforms

The Scottish Government has committed to reforming the existing four nation Producer Responsibility schemes:

• Packaging Producer Responsibility Scheme^[19]
• Waste Electrical and Electronics Producer Responsibility Scheme^[20]
• Batteries and Accumulators Producer Responsibility Scheme^[21]

Reforms to the existing Producer Responsibility schemes will result in changes to how end of life products are managed, how local authorities may be funded to manage that waste and how reuse and repair are championed across the three schemes.

Deposit Return Scheme

The Scottish Government is also committed to introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drinks containers in Scotland to help increase recycling, reduce litter and meet our climate change targets. We continue to work closely with the UK Government, Welsh Government and DAERA to launch schemes across the UK in October 2027.

Single-use vape ban

The ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes came into force on 1st June 2025 using powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This approach has been used in the past to ban other items such as microbeads, cotton buds and single-use plastics. The UK-wide ban has been introduced to prevent the environmental damage disposable vapes cause and also to address health concerns associated with vaping as Scotland moves towards a tobacco-free generation by 2034.