Circularity and Sustainability Indicators for the Agrifood Sector: The Case of Olive Oil Supply Chain

The urgency to optimize resource use and reduce waste generation has led the global attention to the Circular Economy (CE). Today, the agri-food sector (AFS) throws away one-third of its production, severely impacting the ecosystem and society. In this context, the olive oil supply chain is one of the most impactful for resource depletion and waste production. Thus, CE may be a valuable opportunity to redirect the sector towards sustainable development. Several studies reported examples of circularity in olive oil and AFS, but there is not a unique approach to CE assessment for this context, which relies on the so-called biological cycles. Thus, the present study performs a bibliometric analysis to map the literature on CE assessment in the food and olive oil context, tracking the evolution of the topic, identifying criticalities, and capturing possible future trends. Results show: i) increasing interest in the topic, ii) Europe as a relevant player, and iii) the centrality of Life cycle assessment as an impact assessment metric. The study is part of the Research Projects of National Interest (PRIN) 2022 “Towards circular and sustainable agri-food systems: metrics for assessment (CIRCULAGRIS)” CUP J53D23009360006 – code 2022JNNJJX, supported by Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR).