Browsing by Author "Scandurra, Federica"
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- Circular economy in the agri-food sector: Insights into Portuguese companies’ practicesPublication . Scandurra, Federica; Salomone, Roberta; Caeiro, Sandra; Moura, Ana Pinto deRelevant cultural and financial factors hamper circularity in Portuguese agri-food sector companies. To capture so, an empirical analysis of circular practices in agri-food companies was carried out. Being the agri-food sector central to the Portuguese economy and the numerous circular economy initiatives in the Country, the study aims to comprehend how circularity is achieved from an environmental, social, and financial perspective in Portuguese companies of the sector. Therefore, a survey of a selected sample of companies identified 9 examples of organisations involved in circularity to interview. Results evidence: (I) strong cultural and financial barriers in implementation and evaluation; (ii) generation of social value through community-centred initiatives and collaborations with local companies; (iii) urgency to valorise and communicate financial impact to conquer new funding opportunities. The analysis contributed with new knowledge on the social value-creating capacity of circularity and the impact on companies’ financial performance in the agri-food sector, providing interesting future insights into academia and policymaking.
- Circular economy practices in the agri-food sector: awareness and maturity level in Portuguese companiesPublication . Scandurra, Federica; Salomone, Roberta; Caeiro, Sandra; Moura, Ana Pinto deThe circular economy model has drawn global interest, especially in the agri-food sector (. The food system is indeed facing the “food paradox”: it is wasteful but also unable to meet globally the food demand. Thus, it needs to explore ways to fulfil food needs without compromising future food availability. The present article is linked to a previous study that showed the maturity of the circular economy practices in the sector among scientific literature studies. Now, it is relevant to understand if such maturity is also perceived by the sector’s practitioners. Given the relevance of the agri-food sector in the Portuguese economy and its numerous circular economy projects, the study aims to explore how agri-food Portuguese companies consider and adopt circularity. For this, a survey was carried out from January to March 2023 on a convenient sample of Portuguese companies. Preliminary results reveal that: i) companies have a systemic vision of circular economy; ii) most practices are incrementally innovative. These findings allow to identify circularity best
- The maturity level of the agri-food sector in the circular economy domain: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Scandurra, Federica; Salomone, Roberta; Caeiro, Sandra; Gulotta, Teresa MariaThe agri-food sector (AFS) is crucial in the transition towards sustainability. The Circular Economy (CE) has gained global attention as a tool to achieve it systemically. Nevertheless, it is necessary to understand the maturity level of circularity in the AFS. For that reason, this study aims to analyse, through a systematic and bibliometric literature review, examples of circularity in the sector at inter- and intra-company levels, considering case studies with a micro or meso perspective of analysis. The review was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases, identifying 43 peer-reviewed articles published from 2015 to the end of February 2022 and 162 practices. The review explored the maturity level of the agri-food sector in terms of circularity through the innovativeness of its practices. Results show that 51% of the practices have a conventional nature, whereas incremental and radical innovation represent 46% and 3% of the sample. The analysis also investigated, through content analysis, the links with Industrial symbiosis (IS), and sustainability, which remains poorly explored, especially in social terms. Although some limitations are present due to the research criteria, the study allows for deep diving into the characteristics of circularity in the sector by contributing to the definition of a database of circular best practices capable of driving practitioners towards its application and capturing challenges and potential ways of improvement.