Circular Communities Scotland

Join Grassmarket Community Project for its 2026 Summer Showcase and celebrate creativity and community with art, crafts, performance and food, all for free.

Enjoy member performances, explore the summer art exhibition, and browse stalls and displays featuring the talents of Grassmarket's members and partners.

Discover the heart of the Edinburgh at Grassmarket Community Project, a thriving network of people working together to build confidence, purpose, and belonging.

Learn more and register: https://tinyurl.com/bd5tmsfe
Grassmarket Centre Edinburgh
Thursday, July 16 • 4 PM - 6 PM

Ready to shine a light on the amazing difference your reuse charity is making this year?

Apply for the Social Enterprise Awards Scotland and the SURF Awards, both currently open and accepting applications.

The Social Enterprise Awards Scotland are open for applications until Monday 6th July at 12pm, with categories including Social Enterprise of the Year, One to Watch and Environmental Social Enterprise. Apply today: https://tinyurl.com/yapu9h6w

The SURF - Scotland's Regeneration Forum Awards are open for applications until 7th September 2026 at 5pm. Categories include Removing Barriers to Employability and Community Led Regeneration. Apply today: https://tinyurl.com/4hzcafxb

Come along to our Share & Repair Network online workshop where we’ll learn about the potential and practicalities of self-service locker systems.

Self-service lockers offer a convenient way for customers to collect or return items from sharing libraries at a time that suits them, outside of regular opening hours.

This is a unique opportunity to hear from industry experts Anna De Matos founder of Circular Library Network, Chris Tanner founder of The Lend Engine and Edwin Love from KLOTH.

This event it suitable for existing and planned sharing libraries, public libraries, local authorities, community buildings.

Learn more & register: https://tinyurl.com/bpnzkb8n

Circular Communities Scotland is pleased to respond to new Scottish Government figures, showing that Scotland's carbon footprint increased by 1.6% between 2021-2022.

Scotland's carbon footprint is calculated by estimating the total greenhouse gases associated with the things we buy and their supply chains, including things produced beyond Scotland.

While emissions directly related to activities in Scotland have dropped by nearly 50% since 1998, our carbon footprint has only fallen by 17.5% over the same period.

Greenhouse gas emissions from things we import now make up over half of total emissions. This shows that whilst some progress is being made to tackle emissions in Scotland, the impact our consumption is having is steadily increasing.

Becky Kenton-Lake, Circular Economy Policy Officer for Circular Communities Scotland said:

“The Scottish Government has stated its commitment to transitioning to a circular economy, with sustainable levels of resource use. This data showing our carbon footprint is continuing to grow underlines the urgent need to make this vision a reality.

“This year new circular economy targets are due to be set, and these must drive a reduction in consumption, alongside measures to make it easier to reuse and repair. This will not only mean that Scotland’s carbon footprint falls, but that wealth is retained within communities, natural resources are protected, and new jobs are created.”

We're pleased to be quoted in this Friends of the Earth Scotland press release here: https://tinyurl.com/f6axdpud

Discover more information on Scotland's carbon footprint figures: https://tinyurl.com/24v6k2xe

Many organizations are creating significant value through repair, reuse, local procurement, skills-sharing, and community support, but some of the most important impacts remain difficult to evidence or communicate.

Join organizations from across Scotland for a practical peer-learning workshop to share experiences, learn from others, and explore opportunities emerging from Scotland’s Circular Economy and Community Wealth Building agendas.

1st July, 2026 at 9:30am - 12:30am, Online. This event is limited to 15 participants.

Learn more & Register: https://luma.com/n0rnz26e

Hosted by CommunityCred and the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

This week we're celebrating and the its mission to create happier, healthier and greener lives through cycling - inspiring more people to experience its benefits.

Reuse and cycling go hand in hand, and we're proud to support reuse charities throughout Scotland that specialise in bike reuse and cycling support for communities.

Whether you're looking for an affordable refurbished bike, local cycling community events, bike maintenance qualifications or instructional lessons, our bike members have all this and more to offer.

Visit our members map and filter by 'Bike Reuse' to see amazing environmentally focused cycling charities throughout Scotland: https://circularcommunities.scot/map/

Lean more about here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek

Make the most of your Circular Communities Scotland membership and sign up for events designed to support reuse, sharing and repairing charities like yours.

Funding, Finance and Business Support Seminar
Tuesday June 23rd 9.45am-12.45pm, online.
Join us for our most popular seminar of the year for the opportunity to hear from key funders and providers of financial and developmental support in our sector.
Register today: https://tinyurl.com/stcc363u

Self-service Locker Systems for Sharing Libraries
Monday August 27 10-11.30am, online.
Come along to our Share & Repair Network online workshop where we’ll learn about the potential and practicalities of self-service locker systems.
Register today: https://tinyurl.com/bpnzkb8n

Our Share & Repair Network is delighted to shine a spotlight on our members and the work they do promoting sharing and repairing, tackling overconsumption and waste, mitigating climate change, and helping their communities thrive.

This month’s spotlight is on South Seeds, a community organisation based in the South Central area of Glasgow, which recently transformed a neglected near-derelict building in a Glasgow park into an inspiring community resource with reuse and sharing at its heart.

Learn more about the launch event, project journey and how to get involved with The Southside Tool Library on our website: https://tinyurl.com/yswvfdak

Interested in knowing what the recent Scottish election could mean for the circular third sector?

Watch our recent webinar to see the headlines from the election results, with insights from Fraser McMillan from the Scottish Election Study, and Becky Kenton-Lake, our Circular Economy Policy Officer: https://tinyurl.com/2dvuj2kc

Read our latest blog to learn which parties are pledging for a more circular economy, and how we plan to support and represent our membership in the next Parliamentary session: https://tinyurl.com/cun4a4c6

Circular Communities Scotland would like to welcome all new and returning MSPs to the Scottish Parliament and congratulate Gillian Martin for Aberdeenshire East on her appointment as Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs.

Stay tuned for more policy & influencing updates coming soon.

The programme for our annual Funding, Finance & Business Seminar is live!

Want to learn about the funding, grant and support opportunities on offer for your circular charity or social enterprise? Join us for the opportunity to hear from and put questions to funders and providers of financial and developmental support in our sector.

Hear from The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland, Democratic Finance Scotland, Big Give, SSE plc, SP Energy Networks, Stitch The Gap CIC, SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations), Just Enterprise & Social Enterprise Academy Scotland.

Join us online on Tuesday June 23rd 9:45 am - 12:45 pm.
Register today: https://tinyurl.com/stcc363u