The latest episode of Sustainable Scotland examines why circularity has become a genuine competitive edge for Scottish business.

The podcast, produced in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, features Dr Jane Beasley, Circular Economy Delivery Director at Zero Waste Scotland, Lorraine Wood, Head of Sectors at Zero Waste Scotland and Dr Jocelyne Fleming, Public Affairs and Policy Lead at the Chartered Institute of Building and one of the deputy chairs of the circular built environment Mission Board.

Circular activity already contributes around £4 billion a year to the Scottish economy and supports some 56,000 jobs, a transition that's happening now, driven by Scotland's statutory Circular Economy Strategy, sector roadmaps and newly formed Mission Boards bringing senior industry and government figures together to turn strategy into delivery.

The panel argues the challenge isn't convincing businesses circularity matters, it's helping them take a practical first step, with free tailored support available through Zero Waste Scotland's Business Information Hub.

Dr Jane Beasley says in the episode: "Companies need to start looking at circular economy in the same way that they would look at, say, health and safety... not as a kind of environmental nice add-on, but as a key sort core financial sort of central part of why you're operating and how you operate."

Jane points to IndiNature, which has scaled hemp-fibre insulation from concept to full commercial manufacturing, Kenoteq, whose K-BRIQ is made from over 90 per cent recycled construction waste at a fraction of the embodied carbon of a conventional brick and BAM Construction, which has worked with its SME supply chain to design out waste before construction even starts.

Dr Jocelyne Fleming pushes back on the idea that construction is reluctant to change, arguing the real barrier for the sector's many SMEs is capacity rather than appetite.

With the right system in place, and practical, tailored support alongside it, she believes circularity can become standard practice rather than a bolt-on, something the panel expects to see accelerate as Mission Boards mature over the next five years.

Listen to the full episode of Sustainable Scotland and subscribe >>

Visit Zero Waste Scotland's Business Information Hub for free guidance on where to start on your circular journey.