Experiences in Assessing the Impact of Circular Economy Interventions in Agrifood Systems—A Review

Thirze Hermans (), Nienke Beintema (), Carlos Francisco Brazão Vieira Alho and Mark van der Poel
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Thirze Hermans: Wageningen Social & Economic Research, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Nienke Beintema: Wageningen Social & Economic Research, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Carlos Francisco Brazão Vieira Alho: Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Mark van der Poel: Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: The circular economy (CE) offers a promising framework for sustainable resource management; however, assessing its performance remains challenging due to a lack of robust methodologies, metrics, and data. In agrifood systems, CE has the potential to improve resource efficiency and food security. However, limited research has explored CE interventions in this sector, emphasizing the need for tailored assessment tools. This study seeks to advance CE intervention evaluation in agrifood systems through a realist literature review and discussion on agrifood system assessments to bridge identified knowledge gaps. Our review reveals that most frameworks only address technical or environmental dimensions due to their measurable nature and predominance of laboratory research. This focus underscores the necessity of incorporating assessments in real-world contexts. Insights from agrifood system evaluations suggest that future research should develop holistic frameworks encompassing technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions. A systems-thinking approach is important for understanding complex interactions among these dimensions, involving mapping, key component identification, and development of context-specific metrics adaptable to global and local settings, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. Active stakeholder collaboration throughout design, data collection, and evaluation is essential for creating relevant indicators. Integrating these elements supports a comprehensive CE assessment framework for agrifood systems.

Keywords: circular economy; agrifood systems; food systems; impact assessment; performance evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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