Over the past three years, local authorities have declared climate emergencies and taken an active role in supporting the delivery of net zero.
In many cases, action has focused on energy – whether by reducing demand through housing retrofit or switching to renewable energy sources.
The role of moving towards a circular economy remains a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle. It aims to decouple economic activity from the consumption of finite resources and greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring that materials stay circulating within our economy.
It has three key principles:
- design waste out of our communities and businesses
- keep products and materials in use for as long as possible
- regenerate farmland and natural systems.
Research undertaken by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation indicates that 55 per cent of global emissions are directly from energy: moving towards a circular economy can help us tackle the overlooked 45 per cent by transforming the way goods are made and used.
Across Yorkshire and the Humber, we’ve been developing a work programme to accelerate the move to a circular economy.
Taking a more regional approach has provided the opportunity to explore the interdependencies between rural and urban areas and develop interventions that create true circular systems.
To facilitate this work, we’ve held two collaborative stakeholder workshops to identify key opportunities.
This approach, including local authorities, communities, academia, businesses and other organisations, has been critical to supporting innovative thinking and capacity building for change.
We’ve recently secured funding from Yorkshire and Humber Councils and North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub to recruit an officer to coordinate the delivery of the work programme across the region.
This will build upon best practice projects, including the innovative ‘Circular Malton’ initiative that aims to create the first ‘circular’ market town in Malton and neighbouring Norton, in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.