The organisation also found that 66% of the critical raw materials required for support sectors including construction, food, energy and manufacturing are imported.
Zero Waste Scotland said the figures demonstrate how dependent the Scottish economy remains on international supply chains, leaving it vulnerable to disruption from geopolitical instability, price volatility and wider global shocks, and reinforced its call to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
Ciaran McGuigan, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “By embracing circular economy practices across the board, Scotland can reduce its demand for raw materials, cut emissions, and build a more resilient, sustainable economy for the future.”
200 million tonnes of material needed annually
The findings come from Scotland’s most recent Material Flow Accounts (MFA), which provides a sector-by-sector breakdown of how materials move through the economy – from extraction and imports through to production, consumption, exports and waste.
The MFA found Scotland required around 200 million tonnes of material inputs in 2020 – equivalent to 37 tonnes per person – to sustain economic activity.
Only 11 tonnes of this material is visible in products and infrastructure used in daily life, such as food, clothing, buildings and vehicles.
The remaining 26 tonnes are embedded elsewhere in the wider economy, largely in industrial systems and exports.
Zero Waste Scotland said this “hidden flow” of materials demonstrates why circular economy interventions must extend beyond household recycling and consumer waste, and instead focus on system-wide resource efficiency, reuse and remanufacturing.
McGuigan added: “The findings of our latest Material Flow Accounts underline the true scale of Scotland’s reliance on materials – and how the things we see in our daily lives are only part of the story.
“For every product we use, many more materials flow through the wider economy to sustain it – showing the reality of Scotland’s resource use.
“Encouragingly, this data also shows us where the opportunities lie – in turn, shaping Zero Waste Scotland’s focus on the areas where we’re turning insight into practical action.”
Scotland’s circular economy
The MFA identifies fossil fuels and related products, processed food, machinery and equipment, and metals and castings as Scotland’s largest drivers of material use and environmental impact.
These sectors are also among those identified by the Scottish Government as priority areas within its Circular Economy Strategy, which was published in March 2026.
Earlier this month, Zero Waste Scotland published its built environment roadmap, designed to increase reuse of construction materials and improve resource efficiency across infrastructure projects.
This followed the launch of a Built Environment Mission Board, bringing together stakeholders from across the supply chain to align action and remove barriers to circularity.
A similar roadmap for energy infrastructure has also been published, focused on embedding circular principles across Scotland’s energy system as the country scales up renewable generation and grid investment.
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