Projects and Initiatives

The following are examples of some of the projects and initiatives undertaken by the Council.

Thriving Cities Initiative

The Thriving Cities Initiative (TCI) is a programme led by C40, a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world's leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis. TCI works with cities to help achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement and improves equity, quality of life and economic livelihoods through addressing unsustainable consumption. The primary aims of a TCI city are to co-create solutions to inspire collective behaviour change to mainstream low carbon living and create jobs, improve wellbeing and equity.

As a TCI city, Glasgow aims to:

• Develop an action pathway towards becoming a thriving city.
• Develop a methodology for measuring progress towards becoming a thriving city.
• Develop communications tools and resources to mainstream sustainable lifestyles, focused on ensuring that Glaswegians have the necessary support to make decisions that will benefit them and their communities.
• Share lessons learned from the Thriving Cities process demonstrating how cities can move towards thriving and address unsustainable consumption.

Underpinning the work for the TCI in Glasgow has been the development of a Thriving Glasgow City Portrait which creates a vision of the City where people and the environment mutually thrive. To build this picture of a thriving future, the Portrait downscales the principles and framework of Doughnut Economics.

The Centre for Civic Innovation also partnered with the TCI and wider Glasgow City Council teams to develop The City Change Makers program focused on Enabling Community Action on Urban Consumption, Resilience and Wellbeing, and to understand how the city might support people in Glasgow to better respond to climate change. It was created to work with local communities who are facing the worst impacts of climate change and understand the challenges they face, what they care about, and what they would like to see happen in the future.

Solar PV Programme

As at April 2025, Glasgow City Council has installed solar PV on rooftops at 34 sites (7 of which were completed in 2024) which are listed in the table below. 

A further solar PV installation with a peak output of 600kWp is currently under construction at the Kelvin Hall.  This installation is expected to be the largest roof-mounted solar array in Scotland.  

A further 38 sites have undergone feasibility studies and are shown as "Phase 2" on the Solar PV Opportunity Map. Phase 2 sites will be further assessed for viability to proceed to delivery. 

Wind Opportunity Mapping

An initial feasibility study has been conducted to assess the potential for wind energy generation across several sites in the Glasgow area. The Wind Opportunity Map outlines 8 sites which have previously undergone first pass feasibility studies, along with a wind turbine which is currently in operation.  Sites marked "aviation check" have undergone screening but require input from the local airport to identify potential impact on radar equipment, along with the associated mitigation required to proceed.  This would likely be the key factor in setting the parameters with regards to size and exact position of these sites.

It should be noted that Glasgow's wind opportunity mapping was carried out as an independent feasibility exercise.  At this stage, Glasgow City Council are not committed to developing wind energy generation on any of the presented sites.

Circular Cities Declaration

Glasgow City Council signed the Circular Cities Declaration in July 2021.  This is a commitment by cities and regions to use the levers at their disposal coherently across their organisation to transition from a linear to a circular economy.

The Declaration aims to:

• Allow local and regional governments across Europe to communicate their commitment to supporting the circular transition.
• Provide a shared vision of what a "circular city" is.
• Underline the critical role which local and regional governments need to play in making this transition happen.
• Establish a community of committed organisations to share their experiences, challenges and successes.

Climate Literacy Training

Climate Literacy Training is a programme designed to raise awareness about the costs and impacts of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from everyday activities. The goal is to empower individuals, communities, and organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. The programme was rolled out amongst Glasgow City Council senior staff and Elected Members.

In September 2024, a Climate Literacy for Glasgow City Council e-learning course was launched and is available to all Glasgow City Council staff. The course provides an introduction to climate change and explains key definitions such as mitigation, adaptation and Net Zero. In April 2025, this training was supplemented by the launch of another internal e-learning course focused on Energy Efficiency Awareness, which aims to encourage staff to reduce energy consumption, supporting not only the Net Zero goals and cost reduction.

Glasgow's Low Emission Zone

To support the reduction of levels of harmful vehicle emissions in our city centre,  Glasgow implemented The Low Emission Zone in 2023.  The LEZ Community Fund supports community led climate action activity that aligns with the main objectives of the LEZ.

Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre - GRREC

• Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre - GRREC
• Viridor Website

Electric Vehicles

Glasgow is making significant progress towards becoming a zero-emissions city, with a strong focus on electrifying its council vehicle fleet which currently includes 280 EVs. The city is working towards zero emissions  by the end of 2029 and is planning to use only electric, hydrogen-powered and alternative powered vehicles to deliver essential public services by 2030.

A major milestone in this initiative is the introduction of one of Scotland's first fully electric bin lorries. This vehicle operates entirely on electricity, producing zero emissions, and is also highly cost-effective—daily energy costs are expected to be up to 70% lower than those of a traditional diesel vehicle. With fewer moving parts, it also requires less maintenance. The lorry can manage up to 1,600 household bin collections per day and has the capacity to handle up to 20 tonnes of waste, all on a single charge.

The Council is also piloting the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a sustainable, low emission alternative fuel for its fleet.  HVO is a 'drop in' alternative for diesel fuel, requiring no vehicle or infrastructure adaptions, and can reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 90%.  If the pilot is successful and HVO is adopted as a fuel for the Council Family diesel powered fleet, tailpipe emissions reduction could be over 9,000 tCO₂e per annum.

Further information on our Fleet Strategy 2020-2030.

The Council also provides public Electric Vehicle Charging  infrastructure and more information can be found here.

The Glasgow Green Deal

The Green Deal is a roadmap for the city - a nine-year mission to transform the city's economy to tackle the climate emergency.

• News Article
• Committee Paper

Glasgow's Community Renewable Energy Framework

Glasgow's Community Renewable Energy Framework (CREF) aims to support increased generation of energy from renewable sources by guiding communities through the process of developing community-led renewable energy projects on council owned or managed land within the city.

For Phase 1, the Council has identified 4 sites which will be marketed to community groups as part of the CREF launch on 24 June 2025. For more information on the CREF see the latest update to the Net Zero and Climate Progress Monitoring City Policy Committee.