AUTHOR=Stempfle Sarah , Roselli Luigi , Carlucci Domenico , Leone Alessandro , de Gennaro Bernardo Corrado , Giannoccaro Giacomo 

TITLE=Toward the circular economy into the olive oil supply chain: A case study analysis of a vertically integrated firm

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1005604

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2022.1005604

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=While the paradigm of Circular Economy (CE) and the processes of socio-technical transition have been broadly investigated at theoretical level, understanding how the transition towards circular models can be implemented in practice is still limited. This contribution aims at providing in-depth and evidence-based insights on an emerging pathway for operationalizing CE into the olive oil supply chain. A case study from the Apulia region (one of the main olive oil producing areas in Italy) is presented to show how an existing business model can be transformed into a circular one, and to what extent it can be replicated. The study focuses on a vertically integrated firm, in which a new industrial process has been introduced for managing olive pomace, that is one of the most important by-product obtained from olive oil extraction. The empirical analysis is built on the Circular Business Model Canvas (CBMC) which is conceived as a suitable theoretical and methodological tool to speed up the transition process towards CE at a micro-economic level. This analytical framework allows to identify the interplaying elements that the firm combines to capture, create, and deliver value, as well as the relationships with the broader economic system. Particular attention is paid to two distinctive components of CBMC: material loops and adoption factors. Also, internal and external factors affecting the adoption of the new circular business model have been discussed by distinguishing drivers and barriers of the transition process.