Glasgow Chamber of Commerce initiative Circular Glasgow ended a promising and productive year by being named a finalist at the Circulars. The prestigious awards, now in their fifth year, are a product of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global leaders and celebrate notable contributions from organisations across the world in leadership, innovation and value creation within a circular initiative.
The nomination – in the Public Sector Award for Cities, Nations & Regions – is a resounding confirmation of the excellent initiative and its ability to connect and inspire businesses across the city.
The award winner will be announced at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2019, and Circular Glasgow is competing against other finalists, the City of Toronto; the European Commission; The Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark; The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of The Netherlands and Shandong Association of Circle Economy.
In partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, Glasgow City Council and Circle Economy and funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce’s Circular Glasgow plays an increasing role in helping the city to achieve its ambition to become one of the world’s first circular cities.
Circular Glasgow has helped a variety of businesses to prepare for the challenges of the future by adopting circular strategies, that have included increasing revenue streams, enabling partnerships and increasing competitive advantage.
From new collaborations between Glasgow-based bakeries and breweries, and soil made from waste coffee grounds, to bespoke construction and finance summits and a range of events, the team has already engaged over 650 businesses to date.
The range of practical tools already used include one to one Circle Assessments, workshops, open forum information events, specific sector summits and stakeholder engagement conferences – both locally and internationally.
The initiative also led to a Circle Lab challenge, which received over 200 submissions to help encourage businesses to leave more positive economic and environmental legacies after major events and conferences. Created by the Circle Economy in the Netherlands and in partnership with the SEC and Glasgow Convention Bureau and Major Events team at Glasgow Life, three winning solutions are now being developed directly engaging with 17 businesses across the city.
Alison McRae, senior director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “Our business community in Glasgow has taken bold steps to begin the movement towards helping Glasgow to become a leading circular city, with many businesses exploring new ideas and partnerships that will benefit both the individual organisations and support the economic growth of the city in a sustainable way.
“Being a finalist in the Circulars is a great recognition of the work being led by the business community in Glasgow alongside our city stakeholders.
“Through our pioneering Circular Glasgow partnership, we will continue to raise awareness of the opportunities of adopting circular business models within the business community and take engagement to the next level. We expect this work will help to deliver a range of benefits for Glasgow including improved product quality, inclusive economic growth and jobs creation and ultimately a more future proof, more resilient city.”
