Challenges in Applying Circular Economy Concepts to Food Supply Chains

Abstract

In recent years, Circular Economy (CE) has captured vast global attention with regard to its potential in mitigating contemporary economic, social, and environmental challenges. This study aims to present the barriers that impede the application of CE concepts in the food supply chain (FSC) which received limited literature recognition. A systematic literature review is utilized to scrutinize challenges, resulting in 17 factors that burden CE adoption. The challenges were categorized under six subsets and were prioritized based on two perspectives: literature importance and empirical importance. A combination of literature frequency analysis and Field-Weighted Citation Impact was employed to derive the rankings related to literature importance. The pragmatic importance of challenging factors is derived using the Fuzzy Best-Worst method. Both rankings reveal that cost efficiency consideration is the most critical barrier that hinders the transition to CE in FSC. Thus, this paper highlights similarities and differences in the perspectives of academia and practicality by comparing the two prioritizations. The findings can be used to remove obstacles, create policies and strategies, and assist governments in implementing circular practices throughout FSC.