Measuring the Circular Economy

Developing an indicator set for Opportunity Peterborough

BENVGSU8Amber Morley, MSc Spatial PlanningEmelyne Looi, MSc International PlanningChenxiao Zhao, MSc International Planning

APRIL 2018

Opportunity Peterborough

CONTENTS

Executive Summary 3

1 Introduction 4

Purpose of the Report 4

What is the Circular Economy? 4

Circular Economy in Peterborough 5

Towards Developing a Monitoring Framework 5

2 Learning from Best Practice 6

Academic Literature Review 6

Reviewing other Indicator Sets 7

3 Applying Best Practice to Peterborough 9

Understanding the requirements 9

Developing the indicator set 9

Key issues considered during development 10

4 Checklist of Circular Economy Enablers 11

5 Proposed Circular Economy Indicators 13

Introducing the ‘Peterborough Circular Economy Indicators’ 13

How to use the indicators in practice 14

Communicating Overall Findings 15

How do the indicators reflect best practice? 16

Gaps in the Indicator Set 17

6 Longer Term Objectives 19

7 Key Recommendations 20

Appendix 1: Systematic Review of Literature 21

Appendix 2: Guide to completing indicator toolkit 24

Appendix 3: Detailed explanation of indicators 31

Appendix 4: Bibliography 34

ExecutiveSummaryThe purpose of the ‘UCL Governance for Urban Sustainability Project’ is to provide OpportunityPeterborough and Peterborough City Council with a monitoring framework designed to measurethe extent to which Peterborough is becoming a more circular economy.

The report proposes eight indicators, the Peterborough Circular Economy Indicators, whichreport on the environmental (waste and energy), social and economic aspects of the circulareconomy. A toolkit in excel (Appendix 2) has been prepared to assist the data collection process.

Proposed‘PeterboroughCircularEconomyIndicators’

3

Source:GroupA,UCL

The development of the indicator set incorporates learning points on ‘best practice indicators’discussed in academic literature (see Appendix 1) and existing indicators currently used in policymaking, such as the Human Development Index. The limitations of the proposed indicator set arediscussed in detail (Appendix 3) and mainly relate to data availability, incomplete information anddiffering data collection methods.

The report proposes a set of recommendations to Peterborough City Council and OpportunityPeterborough which focus on how best to complete the indicator set, how findings can becommunicated in an effective way, steps which can be taken to enhance the indicators andwhere collaboration with stakeholders can be explored further.

01Introduction

Purpose of the ReportThis report is written for Opportunity Peterborough(OP) and Peterborough City Council (PCC) as part ofthe ‘UCL Governance for Urban Sustainability Project’.The purpose of the project is to create an indicator setto measure Peterborough’s progress towards theFuture Peterborough ‘Circular City Vision’1.

This report presents the proposed‘PeterboroughCircular Economy Indicators’and explains themethodology and process behind its development. Theoverall purpose is to provide OP and PCC with a robustannual monitor ing framework, a l lowing theorganisations to measure Peterborough’s transition toa circular economy.

What is the Circular Economy?Defining the concept of the circular economy (CE) isan important starting point. It is an alternativeeconomic model which focuses on waste minimisationand product reuse. It is a direct challenge to the

The transition to a more circular economy relies onredesigning business models to, for example,encourage the reprocessing of waste instead ofdiscarding it. Transitioning to a circular economy canimprove environmental resilience, provide economicopportunities and enhance social benefits (EllenMacArthur Foundation [EMF], 2017a).

Circular economy strategies are applied at all scales;globally and locally, for governments and individuals,for large and small enterprises. Circular cities can becharacterised by highly centralised capital, population,resources and industries which lead to a minimisationof finite resources (EMF, 2017b).

1 ‘Future Peterborough’ is a programme jointly delivered by Peterborough City Council (local authority) and OpportunityPeterborough (economic development arm of the council). The ‘Future Peterborough Programme’ includes three projects:circular cities, data and digital, and smart cities.

current linear “make, use and dispose” model ofconsumption (WRAP, 2018). The key components ofthe circular economy are shown in Figure 1.1. It isseen by governments as a way to satisfy society’sconsumption without placing strain on naturalresources (Government of the Netherlands, 2016).

Figure1.1:TheFlowofCircularEconomy

Source:WRAPUK

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Circular Economy in PeterboroughThe ambition is for Peterborough to be a truly circularcity by 2050. The vision is to create a place where theflows of people, materials, resources and capital aremanaged in a circular way (OP, 2015). The objectivesare to circulate materials, use local resources, improveeconomic resilience, enhance environmentalsustainability and develop integrated communities.

OP sees transforming the behaviour of citizens as acentral part of delivering the agenda. PCC and OP haveadopted the 7 R’s (rethink, redesign, repurpose, repair,remanufacture, recycle and recover) to encourage thisbehaviour change. These principles are illustrated inFigure 1.2.

Figure1.2:7 R’sofCircularPeterborough

Source:OpportunityPeterborough

The principles outlined in the 7 R’s will be applied tothe five ‘high impact areas’. These sectors will betargeted by policy interventions and activities:

1.Buildings2.Food,drinksandagriculture3.Manufacturing4.Mobilityandtransport5.Educationandcommunities.

TowardsDevelopingaMonitoringFrameworkPCC and OP have been developing circular economyprinciples as part of the ‘Future PeterboroughProgramme’ for the last three years. Until now asystematic monitoring framework has not beenrequired.

An indicator set will be the most effective way ofmeasuring the developmental progress of the circulareconomy in Peterborough, which is the focus of theUCL project. Indicators can be understood as variablesthat describe an attribute of a system (Boyko et al.,2012) and are frequently used in the evaluation of aproject.

The overall aim of the report has been to develop the‘Peterborough Circular Economy Indicators’ byconsidering current best practice in policy, dataavailability and longer term objectives for monitoringthe circular economy in Peterborough.

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02Learning from Best Practice

AcademicLiteratureReviewOurapproach

A template was used to review the academic literaturein a targeted way3. The questions are outlined inBox 2.1 below and the complete findings of theliterature are included in Appendix 1.

Box2.1:Questionsusedinliteraturereview

• Whatisthepurposeoftheindicator?• Whatmakesagoodindicator?• Whattypeofindicatorisbeingdiscussed?• HowarethefindingsapplicabletoPeterborough?• Whatlessonscanbetakenforward?

Findings: What makes a good indicator?Following the literature review, four themes emerged regarding the attributes of a best practice indicator. It wasfound that indicators should be relevant, reliable, simple and sensitive. The findings are summarised in Figure 2.1and the key themes explored in more detail in Figure 2.2 overleaf.

2 The Ellen MacArthur Foundation undertook a circularity baselining exercise in Denmark which considered resource productivity,circular activities, waste generate and energy and greenhouse gas emissions. See report ‘Delivery the Circular Economy: a toolkitfor policy makers’.3 The academic literature was identified through key search terms on Google scholar, lecture reading lists and direction from Prof.Yvonne Rydin at UCL.

Figure2.1:SummaryofFindingsfromLiteratureReview

Source:GroupA,UCL

Learning from best practice is an important first stageof developing an indicator set. While there have beensome attempts to measure the circular economy2, theuse of monitoring frameworks is more established inurban sustainability. The attributes of a successfulindicator are well documented in academic journalsand therefore can help to identify what constitutes a‘best practice indicator’.

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RELEVANT

Designing an indicator which is policy relevantand helpful for decision makers is an importanttheme identified in the literature.

The Pastille Consortium’s (2002) extensiveliterature review identifies that unless theindicator is linked to critical decision making itis unlikely to motivate action. Similarly, Devuystand Hens (2000) note that the targets andindicators should be developed closely withlocal goals and objectives, so that they remainuseful to decision makers. An indicator shouldoffer intelligence and insight into specific issues(Feitelson and Chenoweth, 2002).

RELIABLE

Being able to consistently update the indicatorwith the same data is another importantcharacteristic.

Tanguay et al. (2010) state that data should beeasily accessible for indicators to be updated.This theme is evident in Elgert and Kruger’s(2012) research which finds that indicatorsshould be “quantifiable, measurable,reportable and verifiable”. This calls for theneed for a transparent methodology (Morseand Fraser, 2015).

SIMPLE

An indicator which can be easily understoodmakes it more appealing to the target audience;even complex issues and calculations shouldeventually yield clearly presentableinformation that is understandable to all.

Turcu (2017) argues that indicators should notbe overly sophisticated as complex tools areresource-intensive and difficult to use. The ideaof simplicity is important for the presentationof the indicator. Cartwright (2000) argues thatsustainability indicators should be “eye-catching”.

SENSITIVE

Indicators should be sensitive to changes in thesystem. Having an indicator set which does notchange is not helpful for measuring progress.

Feitelson and Chenoweth (2002) state thatindicators must be correlated or causallyrelated to the complex issues which theyportray.

ReviewingotherIndicatorSetsExisting indicators on the circular economy have also been reviewed. The EMF (2015) have produced a‘circularity baseline’ for Denmark which documents the level of circularity according to four metrics: resourceproductivity, circular activities, waste generation and energy and greenhouse gas emission. This EMF researchprovides a building block for this UCL project. The key learning points are outline in Box 2.2.

Box2.2:LearningPointsfrom‘EMFCircularityBaseline’• Anindicatorisapowerfulwaytoshowtheareasinwhichacountry(orregion)ismoreorlessadvanced

comparedtoitspeers.• Themetricsprovidehigh-leveldirectionforpolicy.• Existingmetricswereusedinthe‘circularitybaseline’toensurethatdatawasavailable.• Whendesigningthesetofindicators,thereisaneedtobalancecompletenesswithdataavailabilityand

comparabilityovertime.Source:EMF,2015

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Figure2.2:KeyThemesoftheAcademicLiteratureReview

The next step was to review indicator sets used ingovernment policy, such as the HumanDevelopment Index and UN Habitat Indicators ofSustainable Development4. The findings from thereview reinforced the four themes identified in theacademic literature review.

Box2.3:LearningPointsfromotherIndicatorSets

SustainableDevelopmentIndicators,DEFRA

HumanDevelopmentIndex

IndicatorsofSustainableDevelopment,UNHabitat

HealthyStreetsChecklist,GreaterLondonAuthority

Diagramtoshowhoweachindicatorisapplicabletoaparticulartopic.Thisallowsdifferentstakeholderstoselectthosewhicharemostapplicabletotheirwork.

Simple visual presentation of data in adiagram which shows a clear comparisonbetween before and after.

4Indicatorsetsandindexeswereidentifiedasaresultoftheacademicliteraturereview. 8

A small table is included atthe end of each chaptersummarising the long andshort term performance ofeach indicator.

Simple illustrationmethodology.Transparency is animportant attributeof an indicator set.

Box 2.3 summarises key learning points whichhave been taken forward into the developmentof the ‘Peterborough Circular EconomyIndicators’. The main findings relate to theimportance of presenting and communicatingfindings in a clear and simple way.

03Applying Best Practice to Peterborough

Understanding the requirementsHaving established the key features of a ‘best practiceindicator’, tailoring the learning points to therequirements of PCC and OP was an important nextstep. A meeting with PCC and OP on 10 January 2018provided insight into the challenges and opportunitiesthe organisations had experienced on their journeytowards being a Circular Economy.

While aspects of the Future Peterborough Circular Cityprogramme have been a success, PCC has lacked city-wide indicators to measure their progress. Engagingbusinesses with circular economy models has alsobeen a challenge; it was recognised that a set ofsuitable indicators could help show businesses how todevelop their own key performance indicators.

DevelopingtheindicatorsetThe development of an initial set of indicatorsconsisted of three stages, which is summarised in Box3.1.

The principles of a circular economy were firstidentified5 (Stage 1); these are the attributes to bemeasured. The ‘high impact areas’6 were thenconsidered and shaped the definition of the proposedindicators (Stage 2) so that the indicators are relevantto the sectors which PCC and OP are targeting. Thereliability of availability of data sources was thenreviewed (Stage 3). The EMF identifies that usingexisting metrics is often the only option (EMF, 2015).

Box3.1:ConsiderationsforApplyingBestPracticetoPeterborough

Stage1:Circulareconomyprinciples

● Drivegreaterresourceproductivity

● Createstrongersocialties● Developinglocalskillsandjobs● Reducewasteand

environmentalfootprint● Pursuelocalopportunities

whichwillarise

Stage2:Highimpactareas

● Buildings● Food,drinkandagriculture● Manufacturing● Mobilityandtransport● Educationand

communities

Stage3:Reliabledatasources

● OfficeofNationalStatistics● SharePeterborough● DepartmentforBusiness,

Energy&IndustrialStrategy● DepartmentforEnvironment

Food&RuralAffairs● DepartmentforTransport

5TheprinciplesofacirculareconomywereidentifiedbyreviewingresourcespublishedbyOpportunityPeterborough.Forexample,‘CircularPeterborough- CircularCitiesCommitment’.6 PCCandOPhaveidentifiedfivesectorswithinwhichtheywanttotargettheircirculareconomyinterventionsandengagement.

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KeyissuesconsideredduringdevelopmentAvailability and effectiveness of datasetsThe main challenge encountered while developing theindicator set for OP lies with the ability to find readilyavailable datasets and use them effectively due to:

1. Geographical scale - While there are datasetsavailable on the Internet that could possibly beused, the information often encompasses thewhole of England or the United Kingdom. Thismade the data meaningless for Peterborough as itwas not specific for measuring progress at the city-level.

2. Incomplete information - Although available at thecity-level, some data was not recorded atparticular years. Gaps in data do not allow acomplete year-to-year analysis.

3. Differing benchmarks - Some datasets are basedon financial years instead of calendar years. Thismakes the comparison of datasets with differentbenchmarks more difficult.

Consideration of ‘enablers’During the development of the ‘PeterboroughCircular Economy Indicators’, useful feedback wasreceived from Katie Thomas, Circular EconomyProject Officer at OP. It was noted that the proposedindicator set concentrated on the outcomes7. Itbecame apparent that it would also be useful todocument the ‘enablers’8 of a circular economy in

Peterborough. The ‘enablers’ of the circular economywere not incorporated into the main indicator set astheir parameters are too difficult to define andtherefore it is too challenging to develop acorresponding indicator. For instance, OP may havesuccessfully engaged an organisation to commit to thecircular economy agenda. However, the business maybe unwilling to share their business strategies due tofear of competition.

Therefore, the final list of proposed indicators(outlined in Chapter 5) is outcomes-based.Nevertheless, the importance of enablers in theCircular Economy is recognised; Chapter 4recommends a checklist which can be used todocument ‘enablers’ and record qualitativeinformation which tracks the progress of Peterboroughmoving towards being a circular economy.

7 An ‘outcome’ is the end result of a process. For example, reduction in CO2 emissions per capita in the industrial, agriculture andtransport sectors.8 An ‘enabler’ is understood to be the conditions which encourage the development of a circular economy, such as change inprocurement methods and education in schools. These factors can be described as ‘inputs’ into the system.

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04Checklist of Circular Economy Enablers

9 ‘DeliveringtheCircularEconomy:Atoolkitforpolicymakers’waspublishedbytheEllenMacArthurFoundation.Page45detailssixpolicyinterventionareaswhichprovideanindicationoftheexistingpolicylandscape.

To capture the ‘enabling conditions’ of the CircularEconomy, a checklist has been developed. Thechecklist included in Table 4.1 draws on the ‘buildingblocks’ framework created by the EMF9 and is adaptedfor use in Peterborough. The checklist is divided intosix ‘policy intervention areas’ which outline the areasof public policy adapted to further the circular

economy agenda. These are then divided into‘intervention examples’ which describe specific areaswhich can encourage the development of a circulareconomy.

OP and PCC can complete the checklist on an annualbasis to audit which enabling conditions exist.

PolicyInterventionAreas

Interventionexamples Notrelevant

TowhatextentdotheseconditionsexistinPeterborough? Justification

/EvidenceNotevident Partlyevident

Fullyevident

Education,information&awareness

Integrationofcirculareconomy/systemsthinkingintoschoolcurricula

Campaignstochangeconsumerbehaviour

Collaborationplatforms

Public-privatepartnershipswithbusinessesatlocalauthoritylevel

Encouragementofvoluntaryindustrycollaborationplatforms,encouragingvalue-chainandcross-sectoralinitiativesandinformationsharing

(e.g.Yes)(e.g.SharePeterboroughPlatform)

R&Dprogrammes inPeterboroughinthefieldsof,forexample,materialsciencesandbiosystems

Businesssupportschemes

FinancialsupporttoSMEbusinesses,forexampledirectsubsidies,provisionofcapital,financialguarantees

Technicalsupport,advisory,traininganddemonstrationofbestpracticestobusiness

(e.g.Yes)

(e.g.workshopsrunbySharePeterborough)

Investmentintechnicalskillswithinabusiness,forexampledesignskillsrequiredforproductdesign

Table4.1:ChecklistofCircularEconomyEnablers

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Publicprocurement&infrastructure

Whetherreuseandreduceprinciplesarepartofpublicprocurementdecisions

Publicinvestmentininfrastructure

Regulatoryframeworks

Nationalorlocalgovernment(sector)strategyandassociatedtargetsonresourceproductivityandcirculareconomy

Productregulations,includingdesign,extendedwarrantiesandproductpassports

Wasteregulations,includingcollectionandtreatmentstandardsandtargets,thedefinitionofwaste,extendedproducerresponsibilityandtake-backsystems(localauthoritywasteplan)

Industry,consumer,competitionandtraderegulations,forexampleonfoodsafety

Accounting,reportingandfinancialregulationsincludingaccountingfornaturalcapitalandresources,andthefiduciarydutyofinvestorsandmanagers

Integratecirculareconomyprinciplesintolanduseplanning(e.g.bringingvacantbuildingsbackintouse)

Fiscalframeworks

VATorexcisedutyreductionsforcircularproductsandservices

Taxshiftfromlabour toresources

Source:EllenMacArthurFoundation;GroupAUCL

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05Circular Economy Indicators

Introducingthe‘PeterboroughCircularEconomyIndicators’The ‘Peterborough Circular Economy Indicators’ aredesigned to allow individuals and organisations, suchas OP, to measure whether the city of Peterborough isbecoming a more circular economy. The circulareconomy is a “complex system”10 influenced by acomplex web of interactions; the indicator set isdesigned to capture specific characteristics of thischanging system.

The ‘Peterborough Circular Economy Indicators’ aredesigned to be updated on an annual basis and willallow the user to answer the following question:

“To what extent is Peterborough a circular economy?”

The purpose of the indicator set is not to directlyevaluate the performance of OP as an organisation,but to measure more broadly how the city isperforming against the Circular Economy objectives.

Figure 5.1 sets out the eight indicators which havebeen developed. The figure shows that each indicatoris designed to reflect different aspects of the circulareconomy: economy, social and energy and waste. Thenext section of this chapter will outline the rationalefor choosing each indicator and the respectivelimitations.

A more detailed explanation is included in Appendix 3of how each indicator is likely to change, theunderlying rationale and potential limitations.

10 The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017) explores ‘complex systems’ in more detail. The report identifies that a complex system ismore than a sum of its parts; a complex system is a product of many interconnections and the system’s structure influences itsbehaviour.

Figure5.1:Proposed‘PeterboroughCircularEconomicIndicators’

Source:GroupA,UCL

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How to use the indicators in practiceCompleting the ‘Indicator Toolkit’Ensuring that an indicator set is simple and easy to useis one of the key attributes identified in the literature.To collate the data we recommend using the ‘indicatortoolkit’ which we have developed as part of thisproject. This is an excel spreadsheet designed to guidethe user through the data collection process for agiven year.

The ‘Indicator Toolkit’ is included in Appendix 2 of thereport. The spreadsheet is divided into the followingsections:

GuidanceNote Instructionsonhowthetoolkitshouldbecompleted

Glossary Definitionsofthetermsusedintheindicatorset

ChecklistofEnablers

Checklist,asoutlinedinChapter4,includedforcompleteness

Templatefordatacollection

Tobecompletedforthegivenyearofmonitoring

Undertaking more detailed analysisFollowing the completion of the ‘Indicator Toolkit’,more detailed analysis can be undertaken tounderstand the specific characteristics ofPeterborough’s circular economy.

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Peterborough England

Retailofsecond-handgoodsinstores

Rentalandleasingactivities

Wholesaleofwasteandscrap

Wastecollectionactivities

Repairofcomputersandhouseholdgoods

Repairandinstallationofmachinery

Figure5.2:Breakdownof‘Indicator1:%circularjobs’acrossPeterboroughandEngland

Source:BusinessRegisterandEmploymentSurvey,2016

For example, Figure 5.2 compares the circulareconomy job profile between Peterborough andEngland (‘Indicator 1: % of Circular Jobs’). It is evidentthat Peterborough has a higher proportion of ‘rentaland leasing activities’11 employee jobs (42%)compared to the national average (29%).

11 This includes the rental of and leasing of personal and household goods, machinery, equipment and tangible goods andintellectual property and similar products, except copyrighted works (defined as Standard Industrial Classification 77).

‘Indicator 5: CO2 emission per capita’ is anotherindicator for which more detailed analysis can beundertaken. Figure 5.3 shows the breakdown of CO2emissions across industry and commercial, domesticand transport for Peterborough and England.

The latest data from the Department for Business,Energy and Industrial Strategy (2015) shows that CO2emissions from transport in Peterborough accounts for42% of total emissions which is above the nationalaverage (32%). Industry and commercial account for asmaller proportion of emissions in Peterborough (31%)compared to across England (41%).

31%

27%

42%

Peterborough

41%

27%

32%

England

IndustryandCommercialDomesticTransport

Figure5.3:Breakdownofemissionsbysector

Source:DepartmentforBusiness,Energy&IndustrialStrategy(2015)

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11 This includes the rental of and leasing of personal and household goods, machinery, equipment and tangible goods andintellectual property and similar products, except copyrighted works (defined as Standard Industrial Classification 77).

CommunicatingoverallfindingsClear visual communication is an important attributeof a well-designed indicator set. In order tocommunicate findings effectively and efficiently to keystakeholders, such as businesses and councillors, werecommend using a traffic light system to show howPeterborough is performing against the nationalaverage (see Figure 5.4 below).

Figure5.4:SummaryofIndicatorSet

Source:GroupA,UCL

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Howdotheindicatorsreflectbestpractice?Being reflective about the methodology and strengthsof the proposed indicator set is an important part ofthe development process. Figure 5.5 assesses theeight proposed indicators against the definition of a‘best practice indicator’ as outlined in Chapter 3.

Figure5.5:AssessmentofIndicatorsagainstthecriteriaofa‘BestPracticeIndicator’

Source:GroupA,UCL

The table shows that all eight proposed indicatorscan be considered to be ‘relevant’, ‘reliable’ and‘simple’. However, for ‘Indicator 4: % adults walkingand cycling more than 3 times per week’, it is notclear how sensitive it will be to change.

Gaps in the Indicator SetIt is important to recognise that many of the aspects ofthe circular economy extend beyond the geography ofPCC or the control of OP as an organisation.

Figure 5.6 summarises the complexities which existwhen considering the circular economy at the scale ofa local authority. Each indicator is influenced by adifferent set of governance arrangements and issubject to changes at different geographical scales.

For example, the indicators on household and non-household waste recycled would be reliant onaccurate data on waste collected by the local authority,

which would require the commitment of individualhouseholds and commercial sectors to dispose theirwastes properly.

In addition, the Circular Peterborough programme isalso partly influenced by actions of regional andinternational bodies. For instance, Peterborough is inthe Circular Cities Network of the EMF, and theUnited Kingdom is currently still part of the EuropeanUnion (EU). Hence, Peterborough’s initiatives wouldhave to be aligned to the overall vision and objectivesof the EMF and EU.

Figure5.6:TheGovernanceArrangementsaffectingeachIndicator

Source:GroupA,UCL

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Another limitation is that indicator set cannot alwaysconvey the exact attributes of a complex system. Eachproposed indicator is tested against the key elementsof the circular economy as outlined by the EMF andWRAP.

Figure 5.7 shows that the ‘Peterborough CircularEconomy Indicators’ will best demonstrate ‘greaterrecycling of products’ (covered by five indicators), butmay be less robust in evidencing ‘reduction in waste’(covered by two indicators).

Figure5.7:AspectsoftheCircularEconomycoveredbytheIndicatorSet

Source:EllenMacArthurFoundation,WRAPUK

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Indicator3:Numberofshares

06Long-term Objectives

Future data collectionThis report draws on existing metrics and datacollection by government departments and localauthorities. Therefore, completeness andstandardisation of data cannot be ensured for allindicators. For instance, as noted by PCC, the numberof ‘shares’ on the Share Peterborough online portal isnot a true representation of the current situationbecause not all the ‘shares’ are recorded on the SharePeterborough website.

Despite all the collected datasets being updatedannually, some of them are renewed by calendar yearwhile others are renewed by fiscal year. To ensure theconsistency of the CE database, the recommendationwould be to explore whether additional data can becollected from the ‘Share Peterborough’ website.

local business owners should be trained on how tointerpret the datasets and how to represent indicatorsthrough effective visualisation tools.

Business reportsTargeted at reporting the progress in Peterborough’sCE agenda per annum, an annual report is encouragedto be published, indicating current year’s data as wellas a comparison with previous years. This reportshould also include datasets at both the local authoritylevel and the national level to specifically figure outwhere Peterborough is in developing a circulareconomy.

To be more accurate, local businesses in Peterboroughcould propose annual business reports presentingtheir particular data in line with the ‘PeterboroughCircular Economy Indicators’. This would help PCCobtain more detailed statistics on indicators such ascircular job opportunities, renewable energy and non-household recycling waste.

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Resources and capacityThe toolkit provided in Appendix 2 should becompleted once a year by Share Peterborough.Despite following the specific guidance regarding datasources included in the data template, PCC staff areexpected to improve the usability and accuracy of thetoolkit by exploring and applying more comprehensivedatasets. Apart from filling in the toolkit, PCC staff and

07 Key Recommendations

Our key recommendations focus on the practicalities of completing an indicator set, communicatingthe findings and thinking about the use of the indicator set over the longer term.

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Figure5.7:KeyRecommendationsforOPandPCC

Source:GroupA,UCL

CommunicatingFindingsCompleting the IndicatorSet

Enhancing the Indicator Collaborating with Stakeholders

Appendix1:SystematicReviewofLiterature

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22

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Appendix2:GuidetoCompletingIndicatorToolkitThisisfromtheExceltoolkitwhichwillbeemailedtoOpportunityPeterborough.

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25

26

27

28

29

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Appendix3:DetailedExplanationofIndicators

Indicator1

%CircularJobs(perannum)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Asthecirculareconomygrowsthenumberof‘circular’jobswillincreaseinproportion.

Rationale

Thismeasureprovidesanindicationoftheshareofemploymentwhichcanbedefinedas‘circulareconomy’.ThedefinitionofcircularismatchedwithemploymentsectorsasdefinedbyONS(seeWRAP’s2015reportfordefinition).Thestrengthsofindicatorarethatitisbasedontime-seriesdataanddataispubliclyavailable.

LimitationsThisisnotanexactdefinitionofthecirculareconomy,andthereforeisonlyanestimationofthesizeofthesector.Unknownhowsensitive/responsivetheindicatoristochange.

Indicator2

%CircularBusinesses(perannum)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Asthecirculareconomygrowsthenumberof‘circular’businesseswillincreaseinproportion.

RationaleThismeasureprovidesanindicationoftheshareofbusinesswhichcanbedefinedas‘circulareconomy’.ThisindicatorisincludedafterthepresentationtoOpportunityPeterboroughon19March2018.

Limitations

Thisisnotanexactdefinitionofthecirculareconomy,andthereforeisonlyanestimationofthesizeofthesector.UnabletocalculatetheGVA/economicoutputwhichtheygenerated.Unknownhowsensitive/responsivetheindicatoristochange.

Indicator3

Numberof‘transactions’onSharePeterboroughPortal(perannum)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Thenumberoftransactionswillincreaseasthecirculareconomy

develops.

RationaleIncorporatesprimarydatawhichisalreadybeingcollectedbyPCCintothe

indicatorset.Importanttoincludesomeprimarydatacollection.Strengths:

policyrelevant,sensitiveandresponsive

LimitationsAsnotedbyPCC,notallthe‘transactions’arerecordedontheShare

Peterboroughwebsite.Thisisnotavailableatanationallevelfor

comparison.

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Indicator4

%adultscyclingandwalkingmorethan3timesperweek

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Increaseinactivetravelasfewerpeopleusetheircarsforlocaltrips

RationalePCCsets‘activetravel’asanimportantgoalincirculareconomystrategybyimprovingwell-beingofPeterboroughresidents.ItincorporatesdatawhichhasalreadybeencollectedbyPCCintoindicatorset.

Limitations ThisindicatorisincomprehensivetomeasurePeterborough’slevelofcyclingandwalking.

Indicator5

CO2Emissionsper capita(tonnes)(perannum)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Emissionspercapitawill

decreaseovertime.

Rationale

Thepurposeofthisindicatoristomonitortheamountofcarbondioxide

emissions(oneofthemajorgreenhousegases)fortheindustrial,agriculture

andtransportsectorswhichisemittedperpopulation.Strengths:Information

ispubliclyavailableandrelativelyup-to-date

LimitationsFurtherbreakdownintomanufacturing,food&drink,andmodesoftransport

isnotavailable.

Indicator6

Amountofrenewableelectricityavailabletoeachhousehold(perannum)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Therewillbeanincreaseinrenewableelectricityavailabilityas

thecirculareconomydevelops.

RationaleHarnessingenergyfromwastestreamsandmoreefficientbuildingsisoneof

theaimsofPCC’scirculareconomyagenda.Strengths:Dataispublicly

availableandeasytointerpret,e.g.breakdownonrenewableenergysources.

LimitationsLackbreakdownaccordingtobusinesssectorstoprovideindicationon

effectivenessofmeasuresspecifictosectors.

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Indicator7

%non-householdrecycling(perannum)(ofallrecycling)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Therewillbeanincreaseinrecyclingrateasthecircular

economydevelops.

Rationale

Managingwastestreamsisakeyconcernforthecirculareconomy.The

purposeofthisindicatoristodrawouttheamountoflocalauthority

collectedwastefromnon-householdsourcesandthosesentforrecycling.

Strengths:Policyrelevant,dataispubliclyavailable.

LimitationsDataonPeterboroughisaggregatedunderthe‘Eastern’regionofEngland.

DataonrecyclingofspecificwastematerialisnotavailableforPeterborough.

Indicator8

%householdrecycling(perannum)(ofallrecycling)

Whatwilltheindicatorshow?

Therewillbeanincreaseinrecyclingrateasthecircular

economydevelops.

Rationale

Managingwastestreamsisakeyconcernforthecirculareconomy.The

purposeofthisindicatoristodrawouttheamountoflocalauthority

collectedwastefromhouseholdsourcesandthosesentforrecycling.

Strengths:Policyrelevant,dataispubliclyavailable.

LimitationsDataonPeterboroughisaggregatedunderthe‘Eastern’regionofEngland.

DataonrecyclingofspecificwastematerialisnotavailableforPeterborough.

33

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