Sustainability Training in Scotland

The Scottish Government's biodiversity strategy sets out a clear ambition for Scotland to be Nature Positive by 2030, and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity across the country by 2045. Click here to view the strategy and delivery plans. 

The conservation and enhancement of Scotland’s natural heritage is the responsibility of NatureScot, the public body who oversee the development and management of protected sites, species and scenic areas. Scotland has some of the wildest areas of the UK and is home to some unique and charismatic species such as red squirrel, beaver, osprey and wildcat. Around 20% of Scotland’s total area has a designation of some form. The School has worked with NatureScot and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to deliver sessions around Peatland Protection and Recovery and is working with the School's Nature Recovery Group Partners and NatureScot to communicate out key resources developed for organisations working in Scotland.

NatureScot’s corporate aims support biodiversity action, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and wider natural heritage protection and enhancement in Scotland. Emphasis is on connecting people and nature and bringing progress to many Government priorities for a green recovery.

NatureScot offer practical support for sustainable growth in Scotland by advising on the effects of plans, policies and development proposals on natural heritage. They believe that engaging early on a proposal, before key decisions are made, delivers the best outcomes for people and nature. NatureScot have a statutory role in environmental assessment and help others in their roles by sharing data, guidance and advice.

In Scotland, ministers are responsible for making building standards (equivalent to the building regulations in England) and the associated technical guidance documents. The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 grants this power.

The 32 Scottish Local Authorities act as verifiers administering the building standards system, granting permissions (building warrants) and completion certificates.

The Scottish Government Building Standards Division monitor the local authorities. The main purpose of the standards is to ensure that buildings are safe, efficient and sustainable. They do not control the building process, but outline the essential standards that are to be met during building works or conversions.

Building Standards policy actions cover:

• Building regulations


• Cladding


• Building approval


• Implementing European requirements


• Monitoring performance


• Improving the building stock


• Workforce strategy

Scotland plans to reach net zero by 2045. It is one of the first countries to set this ambitious target and have the drive, resources and passion to achieve it. The Scottish Government aims to do this in a way that's fair and inclusive to everyone in society, making sure no one is left behind - this is known as a 'just transition'.

A Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) Bill is being considered by the Scottish Government in 2024. This Bill will make changes to the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. It changes the target for reducing all "greenhouse gas emissions" to 100% by 2045. The target is currently 80%.

The proposed law explains how:

• Annual targets will be set;


• A target of 100% reduction in emissions will be set in the future;


• Progress towards meeting targets will be monitored and reported.

The Bill was created as the Scottish Government wants to make the current legislation on climate change tougher.

This will help:

• Limit temperature increases and the negative impacts they have;


• Make sure that businesses and industries start using low-carbon technologies;


• Make sure that businesses and industries work in a way that reduces carbon emissions.

The Just Transition Commission in Scotland advises on a net-zero economy that is fair for all, providing  independent scrutiny and advice on how to put justice at the heart of climate action in Scotland.

Read more about the Commission here.

In July 2024, the Commission published Investment for a Just Transition: A Starting Point which sets out the challenge ahead for policymakers and financial institutions as well as key messages for the Scottish Government in plans to fund a just transition in Scotland.

It is available to download here.

The Real Living Wage in Scotland is currently £12.60 per hour (for adults aged over 18) and is based on cost of living. This is higher than the UK National Living Wage, which is £12.21 for those 23 and over, and the National Minimum Wage for those under 18 (August 2025).  Over 470,000 people in Scotland don't earn the real Living Wage. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's 2024 on poverty in Scotland shows that Scotland's child poverty rates are lower than the rest of the UK but are still high and not falling fast enough. While economic growth helps, JRF stresses that social security policies are crucial for poverty reduction, requiring policies like higher Scottish Child Payment (SCP) and better quality, higher-paid work to meet targets. The report also highlights the problem of in-work poverty, with deep poverty rising, and the need for better pay and conditions for low-paid workers, as well as more support for families with disabilities.

Trafficking human beings is an appalling abuse of human rights. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act (Scotland) 2015 clarified, strengthened and brought together the existing laws on human trafficking to compliment that the Modern Slavery Act 2015 improved support and protection for victims, helped law enforcement target perpetrators and made sure those involved can be punished. The Act covers England and Wales, but some parts apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  Trafficking can involve victims being sexually exploited or forced into the role of a servant, or trapped in forced labour, with nail bars, car washes and construction amongst the industries where potential cases in Scotland have been reported.

Police Scotland subscribe to the Scottish Government's Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy.

Police Scotland works together with the Scottish Government and partners in the public, private and third sectors in the UK and Internationally to prevent human trafficking and exploitation.

Scotland Against Modern Slavery provides support to businesses and many companies in the built environment have signed up as corporate partners.

The 2006 Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act brought about the most significant modernisation of the planning system in Scotland in over 60 years. Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) aims to increase sustainable economic growth, which is the main purpose of the Scottish Government. This means that the planning system should help build a growing economy, but at the same time protect our environment for future generations and make sure that communities can enjoy a better quality of life. National and local planning policies now include community benefits as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications for renewable energy development. These benefits might include improve infrastructure, job creation and community or shared ownership schemes.

Community benefit clauses provide a means of achieving sustainability in public contracts. They include targeted recruitment and training, small business and social enterprise development and community engagement. The Public Procurement Reform Programme delivers value that goes beyond savings and benefits – improving supplier access to public contracts, particularly for SMEs; maximising efficiency and collaboration; and placing the local, social and economic aspects of sustainability at the heart of the purchasing process.

In line with the 2024 to 2025 Programme for Government commitment the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament in March 2025.

The provisions in the Bill will:

• Seek to ensure consistent implementation of the CWB model of economic development across Scotland;


• Address economic and wealth inequality by supporting the generation, circulation and retention of more wealth in local and regional economies.

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 builds on the work of Public Procurement in Scotland. It establishes laws about sustainable public procurement to maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits through effective and efficient procurement activity. Smart use of procurement can play a key role in promoting jobs and growth, encouraging innovation, boosting training and apprenticeship opportunities and helping small and medium enterprises (SME’s) third sector organisations and supported businesses to compete effectively for contracts.

Sustainable procurement duty

Sustainable public procurement is underpinned by the National Performance Framework and Scotland's Economic Strategy.

The sustainable procurement duty requires that before a contracting authority buys anything, it must think about how it can improve the social, environmental and economic wellbeing of the area in which it operates, with a particular focus on reducing inequality.

It also requires a contracting authority to consider how its procurement processes can facilitate the involvement of SMEs, third sector bodies and supported businesses, and how public procurement can be used to promote innovation.

Sustainable procurement support and guidance

Guidance has been published to help public bodies comply with the sustainable procurement duty and support sustainable procurement, including statutory guidance on the sustainable procurement duty (chapter 3).

A series of sustainable procurement supporting guides are also available to help public sector organisations embed sustainability into their procurement processes.

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill was introduced by Scottish Govt on 13 June 2023. This Bill requires Scottish Ministers to introduce measures to help develop a circular economy. This includes:

• Publishing a circular economy strategy


• Developing circular economy targets


• Reducing waste


• Increasing penalties for littering from vehicles


• Making sure individual householders and businesses get rid of waste in the right way


• Improving waste monitoring

The Circular Economy and Waste Route Map sets out strategic direction for delivering the Scottish Government’s system-wide, comprehensive vision for a circular economy from now until 2030. Building on a first consultation in 2022, the Government is now consulting on key priority actions that will unlock progress across the waste hierarchy.