Edinburgh Standards

In 2003 the ESDP reviewed progress on work to date and established a workplan for the future. A key piece of work for the Partnership was identified, namely the development of a suite of “Edinburgh Standards” for sustainable development.

The aim of the standards is to make sustainable development more meaningful for the majority of individuals and organisations who have yet to buy into the concept by providing an aspirational framework for sustainable development in Edinburgh. This will also provide a strong and practical link into the Community Planning process and the requirement to provide Best Value in public services.

Once developed, the standards could provide the framework around which the other key elements of the ESDP future work program could be integrated, ie:

  • the measurement of base line performance within the city against the benchmark of the standards, leading to the identification of major gaps;
  • the co-ordination, consolidation and marketing of existing support initiatives and programs etc which are available from existing ESDP members and others, in support of individuals and organisations seeking to make improvements towards achieving standards;
  • the encouragement of organisations and communities to sign up to making efforts to achieve relevant standards (starting with ESDP members);
  • the monitoring and annual reporting on progress;
  • the identification of good practice/success and its promotion and celebration.

Overall, this framework provides an innovative, robust and long-term methodology for ratcheting up the sustainable performance of the city, with potential for wider application.

Three working groups were initially set up to consider the development of standards relating to buildings, waste and planning.

Buildings standards
Planning standards
Waste standards

Edinburgh Standards for Sustainable Waste Management

The vision for these waste standards is:

“To encourage improvements in the waste management practices of businesses and other organisations in or involved with the City of Edinburgh. Such improvements shall play a pivotal role in ensuring that by 2015, Edinburgh will lead the most successful and sustainable city region in Northern Europe and sustain the highest quality of life of any UK city.”

Draft Standards have been developed by the ESDP waste subgroup and a workshop with representatives from 35 different organisations. These standards will compliment other waste management initiatives being undertaken within the city and across Scotland. They will ensure that Edinburgh plays its full role in achieving the increasingly demanding targets being set in Scotland's Waste Strategy. In particular the National Waste Strategy's target to reduce waste generation growth in Scotland to 0% by 2010.

The aim of the work will be to develop a free to user document that will:

  • State a list of Edinburgh Standards for Sustainable Waste Management
  • Present an outline business case for the key categories of these standards
  • Provide supporting information and guidance on the implementation of these standards for any size of organisation based in or involved with the City of Edinburgh.

We are currently seeking funding to take this work forward. If you would like further information on this initiative or would like to be involved in its further development then please contact us.
See standards proposal document >>> (Word, 49Kb)

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