A review of circular economy definitions and measurement frameworks for an agrifood system: A South African wine perspective

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) can help agrifood industries, such as the wine industry, address their economic, environmental and social sustainability challenges. However, a relevant CE definition considering the industry and socio-economic context is required to direct the transition. This work reviewed academic literature for trends and developments in CE definitions, highlighting the remaining points of contention: the necessity for considering social sustainability impacts, the required scale and complexity of a CE approach, and the activities that can constitute a CE. Targeting a South African context, CE-related South African policies, guidelines and national initiatives were evaluated to capture the local socio-economic context. Consequently, a relevant CE definition was formulated for the South African agrifood industry, prioritising social sustainability contributions and activities targeting natural system regeneration. Literature related to existing CE measurement frameworks and their applicability to agrifood systems was reviewed, considering the wine industry as an example agrifood system. It highlighted the insufficient consideration of energy efficiencies, circularity of biological components and nutrients, and social sustainability impacts as current shortcomings. Future research should address these gaps to allow for the comprehensive evaluation of circularity in agrifood systems. Additionally, developing a standardised methodology for selecting, scaling, weighting and compositing indicators is recommended.