Circular Economy and agribusiness sector: Creating long-run benefits for the environment

Ekonomou, George and Halkos, George (2024): Circular Economy and agribusiness sector: Creating long-run benefits for the environment.

Abstract

Climate change and environmental degradation constitute challenging and demanding issues that need mitigation and adaptation strategies and plans, as well as scientific research to test the causality between economic growth and pollution levels. From this viewpoint, the present theoretical approach defines the concept of circular economy in the high-leverage economic sector, which is the agribusiness sector. A circular economy approach can help agribusiness develop its potential in terms of quality and sustainability without losing its economic orientation and perspective. The circular economy assists in becoming competitive, producing eco-friendly products, minimizing materials used and wastes, and protecting the good ecological status of natural resources, such as land and water resources. Management approaches such as the project management methodology and the construction of a circular business model canvas will provide a solid bedrock on which the circular economy projects within the business will create tangible and sustainable results in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, the concept of environmental benchmarking is a valuable tool for comparing the business's environmental performance with those considered leaders or bets in class in the field.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Environmental degradation; circular economy; agribusiness sector; sustainability.
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q10 - General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q13 - Agricultural Markets and Marketing ; Cooperatives ; Agribusiness; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q50 - General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q53 - Air Pollution ; Water Pollution ; Noise ; Hazardous Waste ; Solid Waste ; Recycling; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q54 - Climate ; Natural Disasters and Their Management ; Global Warming; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q58 - Government Policy

References

Antikainen, M.& Valkokari, K. (2016). A framework for sustainable circular business modelinnovation. Technology Innovation Management Review, 6 (7), 5–12.

Barkley, B.T. & Saylor, J. H. (2001). Customer-driven project management: Building quality into project processes.New York: McGraw Hill.

Bennett, E.M., Cumming, G.S. & Peterson, G.D. (2005). A Systems Model Approach to Determining Resilience Surrogates for Case Studies. Ecosystems, 8, 945–957.

BMI Lab. A spin-off of from the University of St. Gallen. Designing Circular Business Models: From Ideation to Implementation. https://bmilab.com/blog/2021 /01/27/designing-circular-business-models-from-ideation-to-implementation (Accessed May 12, 2024).

Dalto, J.L., Silva, LF da, Penha, R. & Bizarrias, F.S. (2023). Project management and circular economy in agribusiness: A systematic literature review. Waste Management & Research, 1-13.

Donner, M., Gohier, R. & de Vries, H. (2020). A new circular business model typology for creating value from agrowaste. Science of the Total Environment, 716, 137065.

Ekonomou, G. (2022). Disclosing the unnoticed power of market segments in the tourism growth nexus discussion. TourismReview International, 26, 183–200.

Ekonomou, G., & Halkos, G. (2023a). Is tourism growth a power of environmental “de-degradation”? Anempirical analysis for Eurozone economic space. Economic Analysis and Policy, 77, 1016–1029.

Ekonomou, G., & Halkos, G. (2023b). Exploring the impact of economic growth on the environment: Anoverview of trends and developments. Energies, 16, 4497.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation.Towards the circular economy: economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition. Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 2013. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/towards-the-circular-economy-vol-1-an-economic-and-business-rationale-for-an (Accessed May 11, 2024).

Ellen MacArthur Foundation.Food and the circular economy – deep divehttps://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/food-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive (Accessed May 11, 2024).

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2015). Growth within: a circular economy vision for acompetitive Europe. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/EllenMacArthurFoundation_Growth-Within_July15.pdf (Accessed May 12,2024).

Halkos, G.E. (2003). Environmental Kuznets Curve for sulfur: evidence using GMM estimation and random coefficient panel data models. Environment and Development Economics, 8(4), 581–601.

Halkos, G., 2013. Exploring the economy–environment relationship in the case of sulphur emissions. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 56 (2), 159–177.

Halkos, G. 2018. Advances in Green Economy and Sustainability: Introduction. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 12, 247–257.

Halkos GE, Aslanidis P-SC (2023) Sustainable energy development in an era of geopolitical multi-crisis. Applying productivity indices within institutional framework. Resources Policy 85: 103854. https://doi.org/ 10. 1016/j.resou rpol.2023.103854

Halkos, G., & Ekonomou, G. (2023). Can business and leisure tourism spending lead to lower environmentaldegradation levels? Research on the eurozone economic space. Sustainability, 15, 6063.

Kerzner, H. (2006). Project management – A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Kinzig, A.P. (2001). Bridging Disciplinary Divides to Address Environmental and Intellectual Challenges. Ecosystems, 4, 709-715.

Mingers, J., & White, L. (2010). A review of the recent contribution of systems thinking to operational research and management science. European Journal of Operational Research, 207, 1147-1161.

Nattassha, R., Handayati, Y., Simatupang, T.M., Siallagan, M. (2020). Understanding circular economyimplementation in the agri‑food supply chain:the case of an Indonesian organic fertilizer producer. Agriculture & Food Security, 9, 10.

Oluwole, A. (2011). Modelling organizations’ structural adjustment to bim adoption: a pilot study on estimating organizations. Journal of Information Technology in Construction, ITcon, 16, 653.

Pearce, D.W. & Turner, R.K. (1989). Economics of natural resources and the environment. Baltimore: JHU Pres.

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2004). A guide to the project management body of knowledge. PMBOK® Guide(3rd ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Author Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). Um Guia do Conhecimento emGerenciamento de Projetos – Guia PMBOK, 6th edn. São Paulo: Saraiva.

Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday-Currency, New York.

Scheffer, M. (2009). Critical transitions in nature and society. New Jersey, USA, Principal University Press.

The Human Capital Hub. https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/functional-organizational-structure-everything-you-need-to-know (Accessed May 11, 2024).

United Nations, UN. Circular Economy and Agribusiness Sector. https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2020-09/Circular_economy_in_AGR.pdf (Accessed May 11, 2024).

Velasco-Muñoz, J.F., Mendoza, J.M.F., Aznar-Sánchez, J.A., et al. (2021). Circulareconomy implementation in the agricultural sector: Definition, strategiesand indicators. Resources, Conservation and Recycling,170, 105618.

Velasco-Muñoz, J.F.,Aznar-Sánchez, J.A., López-Felices, B. & Román-Sánchez, I.M. (2022). Circular economy in agriculture. An analysis of the state of research based on the life cycle. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 34,257-270.

Yuan, Z., Bi, J.&Moriguichi, Y. (2006). The circular economy: a new development strategy in China. Journal ofIndustrial Ecology, 10 (1–2), 4–8.