Zero Waste Scotland

What Zero Waste Scotland does

Zero Waste Scotland is Scotland's statutory circular economy public body, established in 2010 and headquartered in Stirling. It operates as a non-departmental public body structured as a private company limited by guarantee (company number SC436030), funded primarily by the Scottish Government. The organisation works with government, businesses, local authorities, and citizens to transition Scotland from a linear 'take, make, waste' economic model to a circular economy. Scotland's economy currently requires 22 tonnes of materials per citizen per year — nearly three times the sustainable consumption level — and Zero Waste Scotland's mandate addresses this through advisory services, sector-specific roadmaps, and analytical tools.

The organisation's core technical assets are two proprietary analytical platforms. The Material Flow Accounts (MFA) model is an economy-wide material flow accounting system built on 291 life-cycle assessments across 98 economic sectors within Scotland's Supply-Use tables, presented through interactive Sankey diagrams. The Scottish Waste Environmental Footprint Tool (SWEFT) is a life-cycle assessment tool that measures environmental impacts of household waste across six dimensions including climate change, biodiversity loss, and water consumption. Beyond these tools, Zero Waste Scotland delivers practical toolkits such as 'Your Business is Food' for hospitality, the Revolve Reuse Knowledge Hub for the reuse sector, the Household Intervention Plan for Food Waste Reduction, carbon emissions calculators, and funding programmes including the Recycling Improvement Fund.

Zero Waste Scotland does not sell commercial products or charge for services. All guidance, toolkits, reports, and advisory services are provided free of charge to its three primary customer segments — businesses across all sectors, Scotland's 32 local authorities, and Scottish citizens. Revenue comes entirely from Scottish Government grant-in-aid, with no commercial revenue streams disclosed. The organisation highlights that circular economy activities contribute £4 billion to Scotland's GDP, support 56,000 FTE jobs (2.6% of Scottish employment), and generate £37.33 per hour in GVA versus the £32.22 Scottish average. Governance is provided by a Board of Non-executive Directors appointed by Scottish Ministers, with the executive leadership team currently led by Chief Executive Ciaran McGuigan.

Name

Zero Waste Scotland

Legal name

Zero Waste Scotland Limited

Website

https://zerowastescotland.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zero Waste Scotland is Scotland's statutory circular economy public body, funded by the Scottish Government, providing free advisory services, sector roadmaps, and proprietary analytical tools (Material Flow Accounts, SWEFT) to businesses, 32 local authorities, and citizens to accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Circular Economy Advisory Services

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Administrative and Support Services (561)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Waste Management & Hazardous Waste Compliance (RCRA, Universal Waste, Waste Characterization/Manifests) (EUAHABAC)

Keywords

• Circular economy advisory
• Waste reduction services
• Sustainability guidance
• Material flow analysis
• Reuse sector training

Headquarters

HQ city

Stirling

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Zero Waste Scotland is a non-departmental public body funded primarily by the Scottish Government and other government bodies. Revenue comes from public funding to deliver circular economy programs, business support services, and policy initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Zero Waste Scotland provides free circular economy advisory services, research, toolkits, and funding programmes to Scottish businesses, local authorities, and citizens. Its core deliverables include the Material Flow Accounts (MFA) research tool, the Scottish Waste Environmental Footprint Tool (SWEFT), the Revolve Reuse Knowledge Hub training platform, the Your Business is Food toolkit for hospitality businesses, the Household Intervention Plan for food waste reduction, and the Recycling Improvement Fund for local authorities.

Product overview

Zero Waste Scotland is Scotland's circular economy public body offering a portfolio of research tools, training platforms, toolkits, funding programs, and data visualization platforms. Core offerings include the Material Flow Accounts (MFA) platform providing interactive Sankey diagrams of Scotland's material use, the Scottish Waste Environmental Footprint Tool (SWEFT) for environmental impact assessment, the Revolve Reuse Knowledge Hub for reuse sector training, the Your Business is Food toolkit for hospitality businesses, and the Household Intervention Plan for Food Waste Reduction. The organization also provides Carbon Emissions Calculators, a Circular Business Quiz, funding programs like the Recycling Improvement Fund, and the Rewire newsletter for stakeholder communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Your Business is Food: A toolkit helping hospitality and food service businesses reduce food waste through a three-step process of reviewing waste, making an action plan, and keeping it going.
• Revolve
• Rewire

Products and services

• Material Flow Accounts (MFA) A tracking tool that monitors all materials flowing into, around, and out of Scotland's economy, providing evidence for circular economy prioritization and resource resilience decisions. Built on 291 life-cycle assessments covering 98 economic sectors.
• Material Flow Accounts Data and Reports Interactive data visualization platform featuring Sankey diagrams showing material flows in Scotland, with sector-level analysis of resource use and environmental impacts.
• Your Business is Food, Don't Throw It Away A three-step toolkit for hospitality and food service businesses to review, plan, and monitor food waste reduction, includes tracking sheets, calculators, and starter guides.
• Scottish Waste Environmental Footprint Tool (SWEFT) Life-cycle assessment tool measuring environmental impacts of household waste including climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, water consumption, mineral resource scarcity, and land use.
• Revolve Reuse Knowledge Hub One-stop-shop platform providing training, resources, case studies, and industry support to the reuse sector in Scotland, supporting reuse businesses to meet legal obligations and follow best practice.
• Carbon Emissions Calculators Tools provided to support organisations in assessing the carbon impact of their activities beyond traditional carbon footprint measurements.
• Food for Thought Infographic report bringing together research highlights on food waste, covering psychology, meal planning behaviors, and waste quantification across Scottish households.
• Household Intervention Plan for Food Waste Reduction (HHIP) Household-focused intervention plan developed with behavior change at its core, outlining realistic interventions to reduce food waste across Scottish households.
• Circular Business Quiz Self-assessment tool for businesses to evaluate their circular economy readiness and identify areas for improvement.
• Rewire Newsletter Regular email newsletter providing updates on policies, events, and innovations driving Scotland's circular economy.
• Recycling Improvement Fund Funding program for local authorities to improve recycling infrastructure and services in Scotland.

Quantifiable outcome

• Circular economy contributes £4 billion to Scotland's GDP
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE100coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScotland was the first country to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's CE100 network. Zero Waste Scotland supports the Scottish Government in its CE100 membership and coordinates a network of 10 Scottish SMEs who benefit from CE100 events and resources.
• Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to drive innovation and growth in Scotland's circular bioeconomy. Zero Waste Scotland works with IBioIC to identify sector-focused opportunities, support innovators, and facilitate stakeholder collaboration. Co-funded projects include whisky co-product utilisation research.
• Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to drive innovation in Scotland's circular bioeconomy through strategic collaboration in the aquaculture sector.
• Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to promote circular economy innovation in Scotland's construction sector through research and development support.
• Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support innovation in the energy sector's transition to circular economy practices.
• Scottish Institute for Remanufacture (SIR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly funded by Zero Waste Scotland and Funding Council, SIR was established in May 2015 at the University of Strathclyde. It is one of only four global centres of excellence for remanufacturing, accelerating the move towards circular economy through product remanufacture, reconditioning, repair and reuse.
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner organisation with whom Zero Waste Scotland works to bring services and information to stakeholders. Part of a network of public sector partners.
• Scottish EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation for delivering services and information to businesses. Scottish Enterprise is a key economic development agency in Scotland.
• Highlands and Islands EnterpriseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development agency partner for delivering circular economy support services in the Highlands and Islands region.
• Business GatewayminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal authority-funded business support service partnerships for delivering advice and guidance to start-ups and SMEs across Scotland.
• Eunomia Environmental Research and ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommissioned to conduct research on circular economy principles in Scotland's Clean Heat transition, including qualitative research, stakeholder interviews, and development of behavioural systems maps.
• Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry research organisation providing additional support for whisky co-product circular economy research projects.
• Heriot-Watt UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides IBioIC FlexBio laboratory facilities used by MiAlgae, Horizon Proteins, and BioPower for circular economy bioeconomy projects.
• CelluCompminorOthersFife-based bioeconomy company example: turns nano-fibers from root vegetable by-products into environmentally friendly thickener for various applications including paints, coatings, inks, and food.
• Argent EnergyminorOthersMotherwell-based bioeconomy company specialising in production of sustainable biofuels and fertiliser byproducts from waste fats, oils, and greases.
• Ogilvy SpiritsminorOthersDrinks company making more sustainable vodka from potatoes not suitable for retail, demonstrating circular bioeconomy principles.
• CuantecminorOthersOban/Glenrothes-based company focused on extraction of chitin and chitosan from shellfish waste for use in functional film plastic packaging for food applications.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WRAP: UK-wide non-departmental public body with an almost identical mandate to reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and support a circular economy — operates as a direct parallel to Zero Waste Scotland at a UK rather than Scottish level.
• Circle Economy: Netherlands-headquartered circular economy organisation producing the Circularity Gap Reporting framework and Circular Jobs Index — directly comparable to Zero Waste Scotland's MFA and circular economy measurement work, though operating at a global advocacy layer.
• Green Alliance: UK independent think tank focused on environmental policy, sustainability, and circular economy advocacy — closely comparable as a UK-based policy/research/influencing peer, although not government-designated.
• Resource Futures: UK-based consultancy specialising in waste, resource management, and circular economy advisory to local authorities and businesses — comparable as a delivery-side peer to Zero Waste Scotland's Circular Economy Business Support Service.
• Eunomia Research and Consulting: Environmental consultancy that has already been commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland on circular economy research — a comparable independent consultancy peer supporting public bodies and regulators with similar evidence-based, lifecycle-focused work.
• Bioeconomy Innovation Clusters (IBioIC): Scotland's Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre is a strategic partner to Zero Waste Scotland on bioeconomy — comparable as a Scottish innovation intermediary whose agenda overlaps heavily with Zero Waste Scotland's bioeconomy sector work.

Broad incumbents

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Global circular economy thought leader operating the CE100 network (which Zero Waste Scotland supports) — a broader incumbent in the same thematic space, with much larger international reach and convening authority than Zero Waste Scotland.
• Anthesis Group: Global sustainability services firm delivering circular economy and resource efficiency advisory — a broader incumbent that competes for circular economy advisory mandates with organisations like Zero Waste Scotland's delivery partners.
• European Environment Agency: EU agency producing economy-wide environmental and material flow data — broadly comparable as a publicly-mandated data and reporting body whose circular economy indicators parallel Zero Waste Scotland's MFA and SWEFT outputs.

Emerging players

• UK Green Building Council: UK industry body for sustainable built environment — directly comparable in role to Zero Waste Scotland's new Circular Built Environment Mission Board, but operating at UK rather than Scottish level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zerowastescot
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ZeroWasteScotland
• Facebookfacebook.com/zerowastescotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/howtowasteless
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zero-waste-scotland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zero Waste Scotland