The fruition of Circular Glasgow

Abstract

The global economic system for material flows follows a standard ‘make, take, dispose’ model. Alternatively, a circular economy system keeps materials within a closed loop, eliminating the concept of ‘waste’ and requires a fundamental revaluation of materials. This qualitative research study seeks to answer the question ‘what factors led to the fruition of a circular economy project in Glasgow, U.K.?’ Through a review of resource and waste policies at the European, U.K. and Scottish levels, and through an assessment of public policy and agenda-setting theory, this research explores the environment leading up to the creation of Circular Glasgow. Semi-structured interviews conducted with individuals representing key stakeholder organisations provide the data from which themes and insights about the origins of Circular Glasgow emerge. Results indicated that collaboration, incremental policy changes, and the receptiveness of government were the leading perceived factors in the development of Circular Glasgow. This study’s main conclusions suggest that the idea behind Circular Glasgow stems from a complex array of sources and can best be described through evolutionary policy theories such as ‘primeval soup’.