Around the world, interest is growing in the circular economy in response to the current unsustainable model of production and consumption based on increased use and depletion of resources. This paper provides a review of the academic literature on the circular economy in agri-food systems, with the aims of understanding its main characteristics and perspectives, and summarizing and discussing the literature in this field. This review provides a deeper understanding of the opportunities provided by the circular economy as a solution to the current need to reduce the environmental impacts of business-as-usual economic systems and the state of the art of the circular economy in the academic debate. The results are discussed based on the chosen topic-core investigated in this review: business model and organization management, food loss and waste along the supply chain, analytical tools for the circular economy, stakeholder acceptance of the circular economy, and mitigation strategies and political approach. The findings show the need for the implementation of cleaner production models and consequent increases in stakeholder responsibilities and awareness, from both producers and consumers, as well as the need for the implementation of suitable policies and tools.

The medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) sector in Italy is a niche sector that is growing in terms of both primary production and consumption. These products seem to be important to address several global challenges, including climate change, biodiversity conservation, drought solutions, product diversification, product innovations, and the development of rural areas (rural tourism in primis). This study utilised the Delphi method to identify key factors and possible strategies that could be adopted for the future (the next 3–5 years) of the national MAP supply chain. The research involved the collaboration of 26 experts. Individual interviews, based on a semi-structured questionnaire, were carried out during the first round of the study. The information and the collected data were then analysed and depicted in a mental map. The Italian MAP sector suffers from competition from lower-cost imported products. Despite this, the experts predicted an expansion of the MAP sector regarding aromatic herbs and certain derivative products, such as dietary supplements, biocides, and essential oils. The experts anticipated the need to increase the adoption of digital innovations, of developing agreements among the actors of the supply chain, and of investing in the training of supply chain actors.

Eco-innovations that reduce the environmental effect of manufacturing and consumption are seen as critical components of sustainable development and a critical component of the transition to a circular economy. Food systems address the issue of food waste, which is generally acknowledged as a cost to the economy, the environment, and society. Eco-innovations seem to be critical for the food system's transformation to a more circular model centered on sustainable food production and processing. The goal of this paper was to determine the variables that influenced the introduction of product, process, organizational, and marketing innovations in European Union agri-food enterprises between 2012 and 2014. According to a preliminary analysis of the data, 57.40% of agribusinesses did not implement any form of innovation, which prompted the authors to study the difficulties surrounding innovation development over the 3-year reference period. Several key factors emerge as significant influences on the introduction of product innovations (0.055^**); contractual requirements as significant influences on the introduction of process innovations (−0.081^***); and environmental incentives as significant influences on the introduction of marketing innovations (0.062^***). Additionally, product (0.704^***) and process (1.051^***) innovations tend to have a greater influence on enterprises' views of circular benefits. The investigation also demonstrates how enterprises and end users interpret the effect of various forms of innovation differently. Indeed, end users, in contrast to how enterprises understand it, believe that organizational (0.611^***) and marketing (0.916^***) innovations are critical in pursuing circular benefits.

This study aims to examine Italian consumer preferences for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) enriched with vitamins and to analyze the key drivers that affect consumer choices for this product. Specifically, we assessed consumers’ intention to purchase the enriched product compared to the conventional one. The methodology adopted inferential and multivariate statistical techniques: (1) exploratory factor analysis (EFA), (2) ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and (3) non-hierarchical clustering. This study appears to be the first research project related to exploring consumers’ interest in an extra virgin olive oil enhanced with vitamins, thereby providing preliminary indications. The main results represent a significant starting point for the development of new marketing strategies for the food industry.

Purpose: This study empirically explores the factors that influence consumers’ readiness toward engagement in circular food consumption.Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model based on the motivation–opportunity–ability (MOA) framework was developed. In addition to all the classical relationships in this theoretical framework, respondents' age and education were added to the model. An online survey was conducted, resulting in an overall sample of 411 Italian participants. Data were statistically analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).Findings: The results indicated that motivation, opportunity and ability had positive effects on consumers’ readiness toward engagement in circular food consumption (CFC). Of all the constructs, intrinsic motivation had the most significant impact on consumers’ readiness toward engagement in CFC. The results also showed that sociodemographic traits—particularly age and gender—significantly influenced consumer readiness toward engagement in CFC. Practical and policy implications are proposed based on the study findings.Originality/value: The study analyzes factors influencing consumers' readiness to engage in CFC. While great attention has been paid toward circular economy (CE) implementation in food consumption, empirical evidences on how to prompt the consumers' readiness toward CFC are still lacking. More specifically, the authors explore for the first time, sociopsychological factors affecting consumers' readiness to reduce, reuse and recycle technical components of food products, using the MOA theory as conceptual model.

The water industry is facing challenges because of population increases and the resulting development of agricultural operations. Alternative resources that balance the environment, the economy, and society while lessening the strain on limited water supplies will need to be adopted by farmers. One possibility addressing this dilemma is wastewater reuse. The adoption of Reg. (EU) 2020/741 necessitates a paradigm change by moving away from the “fit-for-all” strategy and toward the “fit-for-purpose” approach, which is now regarded as the foundation of the reuse supply chain. However, despite progress, appropriate rules that clearly and concisely outline the procedures to be followed are still needed. Thus, to establish an interdisciplinary and cooperative research agenda, this study tackles the potential and forces behind change by concentrating on tactics for long-term fixes. The need to look at consumer and farmer acceptability as well as the overall environmental advantages of carbon footprint reduction and wastewater fertigation are interesting research avenues. Nutrient-rich streams in agriculture may increase carbon absorption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the soil while simultaneously serving as a fertilizer substitute. The literature suggests that additional research is necessary to fully explore the significant economic potential.