Circular Economy Strategies: Life Cycle Assessment of Hydroponics vs Aquaponics Production

Lucia Maddaloni (), Laura Gobbi, Marco Ruggieri and Giuliana Vinci
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Lucia Maddaloni: Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Experimental Medicine
Laura Gobbi: Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Management
Marco Ruggieri: Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Management
Giuliana Vinci: Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Management

A chapter in Leading Change in Disruptive Times, 2026, pp 364-374 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This study presents a comparative analysis of two innovative Circular Economy (CE) production systems: hydroponics and aquaponics. To address the growing global food demand and the environmental impact of the agri-food sector, the article aims to assess, through the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) according to ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, what are the main challenges and potential sustainability benefits of the two approaches. The research is based on data for various environmental indicators - such as water consumption, scarcity of fossil and mineral resources, land use and pollutant emissions - considering 1 kg of crop in a daily operating cycle as a functional unit. The results obtained show that the aquaponics system, thanks to the synergy between plant cultivation and fish farming, reduces on average the environmental impacts of about 40–49% compared to the exclusively hydroponic system. Significant reductions in water consumption and the use of non-renewable resources are observed, as well as a reduction in emissions related to production processes. This study thus helps to fill a gap in literature, suggesting that aquaponics represents a promising alternative for the development of more sustainable and resilient food production models.

Keywords: Aquaponics; Hydroponics; Life Cycle Assessment; Sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-032-19276-9_26

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-19276-9_26

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