Zero Waste Scotland

Who they are

Zero Waste Scotland works to accelerate Scotland’s transition towards a circular economy, helping create a society where resources are valued and waste is minimised.

The challenge

Zero Waste Scotland wanted to move equality, diversity and inclusion beyond policy and make it part of how people worked, communicated and made decisions every day.

The challenge was not simply increasing awareness. It was creating an environment where people felt confident having conversations about inclusion, challenging existing behaviours and turning learning into practical organisational change.

It also needed to be approached in a way that brought people together rather than creating blame, shame or fear around difficult conversations.

Appreciate the relationship with Connect Three most. The values and behaviours that everybody shares are incredibly consistent and massively appreciated.”

The solution

Connect Three worked with Zero Waste Scotland as an ongoing partner, helping establish the foundations for its wider EDI journey.

We delivered organisation-wide awareness sessions built around the FREDIE principles, creating a positive and psychologically safe environment where people could explore inclusion openly.

The work went beyond the sessions themselves.

We helped Zero Waste Scotland consider how learning could become part of onboarding, recruitment and everyday working practices, while supporting leaders to think about their own inclusion commitments and behaviours.

Employees were encouraged to share their own experiences through a series of internal videos, helping bring FREDIE to life through real voices rather than policy alone.

Our work also helped inform practical changes around inclusive recruitment, leadership objectives, colleague forums and the organisation’s involvement in National Inclusion Week.

The impact

Following the sessions, 74% of attendees said they felt very or extremely confident.

The internal FREDIE campaign generated 29 employee videos and 3,173 views within an organisation of around 180 people, helping inclusion become part of everyday conversation.

The impact also began moving into practical organisational processes, including recruitment, job adverts, onboarding and assessment.

People became more willing to talk openly about race, equality and inclusion, including colleagues who had previously worried about saying the wrong thing.

Rather than treating EDI as a one-off intervention, Zero Waste Scotland established foundations it could continue building on through its wider three-year strategy.