Circular Economy - What is your plan?

Insight Futures recently conducted interviews with key stakeholders during May and July 2021, to establish views and adoption on the circular economy in the built environment. Its findings reported that 80% of participants said circular economy was part of their organisational strategy, but the majority did not have a circular implementation plan.

According to Scottish Government figures, around four fifths (80%) of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from all the goods, materials, and services that we produce, use, and often throw out after minimal use. Considering this and the fact that the construction, demolition, and excavation industry is accountable for 59% of waste (as reported in 2018 by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)), it seems imperative that the industry looks at circular economic solutions with urgency.

One local NE company, KR Group (Scotland) Ltd, are ahead of the game, and identified in 2018 the need for a circular implementation plan for their waste.

Directors, Kenny Robertson, and Nicola Fraser have always ran a lean business since they formed KR Steel in 2003, which generates little waste with any remaining steel sent to be recycled. The business has grown with the addition of sister company KR Solutions in 2014 and KR Cladding in 2017, which now forms the KR Group.

Through the KR Cladding division, it was identified that the only recycling option for composite cladding panel waste was for the steel skins, which can be liquefied and reformed into new steel products. There didn’t appear to be a recycling route for the PIR insulation board within.

Nicola Fraser commissioned a 3rd party to carry out independent research in 2019 to explore recycling options and potential reuse initiatives. The report identified no recycling options and proposed various reuse suggestions which could be explored further.