Assessing Circularity and Sustainability in Agri-food companies

The circular economy paradigm of production and consumption, which aims to overcome the end-of-life concept by proposing closed loops of inputs and resources, is now gaining momentum as a possible way to address sustainable development. The environmental, economic, and social challenges of the agri-food sector make it critical for attaining sustainability. In this context, the present thesis aims to provide a guide for companies of the sector for assessing and reporting circularity, considering the specific features of the sector. To achieve this aim, the thesis is articulated in i) the state of the art regarding circularity implementation at micro and meso levels in the sector ii) an empirical analysis of circular economy drivers and barriers to implementation and assessment among a selected sample of Portuguese companies of the Agri-food sector; and iii) a preliminary case study analysis on Circularity and environmental sustainability assessment at the company level. The final chapter presents a preliminary theoretical framework able to guide companies towards the assessment and reporting of circular strategies in line with the environmental, economic, and social declination of sustainability and specifically targeted for the needs of the companies of the agri-food sector. Overall, the various chapters provide numerous insights into Circularity implementation and assessment at the company level in the sector. In general, the findings of the present thesis demonstrate that companies’ interest in circularity implementation is increasing in the sector. Moreover, circularity principles are already embodied in the food roots, being often related to conventional productive techniques. The thesis, by designing the framework, concludes with theoretical considerations on how to support the sector towards the assessment of their practices to avoid potential burden-shifting or green-washing. Despite the framework having been validated by some companies of the sector already adopting circularity, it needs to be tested in a case study. Finally, the thesis is a first attempt to foster the assessment and reporting of circularity in the agri-food sector. Moreover, the thesis provides insights for future research to achieve a transparent transition to the Circular Economy in particular in the Agri-food sector.