Jamie McGrigor, Highlands & Islands MSP and the Scottish Conservative Environment Spokesman, today in the Scottish Parliament spoke in support of moves toward developing a circular economy. Jamie was speaking in a debate on a circular economy, recycling and waste management this afternoon where he also moved an amendment encouraging the Scottish Government to work with Scottish businesses and their representative organisations to avoid any unnecessary extra regulation and costs falling on the private sector.Speaking in the Parliament today Jamie said:“ I think all of us can agree fully with the concept of a circular economy and the simple common sense of the idea that products and materials should be kept in high-value use for as long as possible.“ The whole developed world must reassess how it uses our planet’s resources and look again at our culture and attitudes towards waste. The current reality is that if everyone on the planet lived like the average European we would need 3 planets to live on. Our earth’s resources can only be expected to be under greater pressure in the years ahead as the global population rises, developing countries become more developed and we see a continued growth in the international middle classes who want the most modern consumer goods and an ever higher quality of life; indeed it is estimated that there will be 3 billion of these new wealthier consumers by 2050.“ We recognise the work being done by the Scottish Government to develop the circular economy, and the good work being undertaken by many Scottish businesses, charities and individuals, including in my region of the Highlands & Islands. We also recognise the potentially significant economic benefits to Scotland of moving to a circular economy. DEFRA for example has estimated that the rolling out of anaerobic digestion technology to treat food waste in the UK could create 35,000 jobs. There is also considerable scope for job creation through the re-use, remanufacture and refurbishment of goods. The decommissioning of oil and gas installations in Scotland has the potential to create a substantial number of jobs.“ The Scottish retail sector is to be commended for the real progress it is making in improving resource efficiency, reducing waste and moving towards a circular economy. We recently debated the SRC’s excellent “A Better Retailing Climate: Driving resource efficiency in Scotland” strategy in this chamber and it seems clear other sectors can learn from its good practices and examples. Sainsbury’s briefing for today talked about reducing waste in the home through their improvements in packaging, for example introducing re-sealable packaging to reduce food waste and improving labelling guidance for home freezing, advising customers to “freeze as soon as possible up to the use by date” instead of “freeze on day of purchase”.“ There are also both current pressures and real challenges ahead for businesses working within the waste management sector and barriers that prevent other companies being able to take actions that are part of the circular economy. I am delighted that Viridor, which works with 96% of Scottish local authorities, has announced £357 million of Scottish investment in the last 18 months as part of an overall investment package of £500 million in Scotland. Viridor are however quite correct to warn that the declines in the value of commodities on global markets present a very big challenge sustaining progress made to date and achieving the 2020 sector targets. In addition they highlight that the UK’s recycling technology and systems are aging rapidly and that a new economic realism is required if we are to make further progress. Ministers need to heed the stark warnings from Viridor and address their concerns.”