Waste Valorisation Through Circular Economy: Pathways Toward Sustainable Food Systems

Abstract

Food waste is becoming one of the topmost sustainability challenges around the world, leading to significant environmental damage, financial losses, and social inequities, besides food insecurity and inefficient resource use (FAO, 2011; UNEP, 2024). Even with intensified efforts toward food loss reduction throughout the supply chains, fragmentary management practices continue to act as barriers to sustainability and circularity within the food systems. The current study offers a detailed review of the approaches used within the circular economy concept to reduce food waste and introduces a waste-to-wealth strategy framework incorporating technology innovations, circular business models, and policies for resource management. Through analysis of the latest literature, the review considers food waste drivers and impacts, waste valorization technologies such as composting, anaerobic digestion, energy production from food waste, bioconversion, upcycling, and digital platforms, besides other emerging circular industries and case studies worldwide. The findings from the review highlight that utilizing food waste in generating renewable energy and bio-based fertilizers, among other value-added products, increases resource efficiency, encourages green entrepreneurship, and fosters climate change mitigation and resilience in the food system (Kirchherr et al., 2017; UNEP, 2024). Additionally, the review outlines some of the barriers hindering the adoption of circular food systems at a large scale and suggests some strategic measures for promoting their adoption. By considering environmental, economic, and social aspects in an integrated conceptual framework, the present study not only adds to the literature on circular economy but also makes a meaningful contribution to the literature on sustainable food systems, thus helping to meet the SDGs.