Moving to a low carbon economy

We believe moving to a low carbon economy will have far-reaching implications for the products and services Scotland offers in global markets and in the way our companies operate.

What is a “low carbon economy?”

In a low carbon economy, there is widespread adoption of resource efficient technologies and processes that produce energy and materials with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. In other words ‘low carbon’ encompasses sustainable development and respect for the environment.

The transition to a low carbon economy is not only environmental but also represents a significant economic opportunity for Scotland. Meeting our climate change targets will help accelerate this transition, providing Scottish companies and sectors with ‘early mover’ competitive advantage.

Our strategic priorities

Given the importance of the green economy in unlocking business opportunities, boosting productivity and creating jobs we have identified renewables and the low carbon transition as two of our five priorities in our Business Plan 2011-14.

We think there are three particular low carbon opportunities for Scotland:

  1. We will see the rapid development and adoption of low carbon goods, services and technologies across all sectors. Some of the biggest opportunities are already transforming the renewable energy, food and drink, and construction sectors.
  2. Scotland’s economy could gain £600 million a year from productivity improvements and better business management of energy, waste, water and natural resources.
  3. Scottish companies can adopt more sustainable business models. These models can provide competitive advantage by unlocking innovation opportunities and aligning profit with wider environmental and social objectives.

How we are helping to deliver Scotland's low carbon opportunities.

Sustainable business model

The following publication includes the characteristics of sustainable business models and inspiring case studies.

PDF document Sustainable Business Models (PDF, 220kB)

The Scottish Government published A Low Carbon Economic Strategy for Scotland: Scotland - A Low Carbon Society which identifies opportunities for sustainable economic growth and employment.