Scottish Government launches Circular Economy Consultation
Friends of the Earth Scotland has responded to the Scottish Government’s launch of a public consultation on a Circular Economy Bill but called for ambitious targets to reduce our huge over-use of materials and therefore the resulting pollution.
Sarah Moyes, Plastic & Circular Economy Campaigner with Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:
“This consultation is a welcome step towards reducing our over-consumption of resources and moving towards a circular economy where products are designed to last as long as possible, are easy to repair and made out of materials that can be recycled.
“The Scottish Government consultation raises alarm bells that the future legislation will fail to set targets for reducing our overall consumption of resources, preferring instead to focus more on behavioural changes rather than on environmentally destructive business models. We cannot drive the necessary transformative action towards a circular economy unless we set ambitious goals to curb our overuse of materials.”
“While the announcement for environmental charges on single-use items and mandatory reporting of waste are welcome, if we are to seriously tackle the climate emergency and drive down emissions then the final Circular Economy Bill needs to take a much broader view of the whole economy. ”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. Scottish Government consultation: https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/circular-economy-proposals-for-legislation/
Scottish Government press release https://news.gov.scot/news/circular-economy-bill
2. In 2016, the SNP committed to bring forward a Circular Economy Bill in the current parliamentary term and the Bill was included in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2019-2020.
3. Friends of the Earth Scotland is
* Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation
* An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland
* Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 75 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups.