Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Sector: Insights into Portuguese Companies’ Practices

Relevant 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.