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Circular and Networked Bioeconomies for Net-Zero Food Production: There is Nothing Magic About Circles

Author

Listed:
  • Joyce Tait

    (Innogen Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Old Surgeons’ Hall, High School Yards
    The University of Edinburgh)

  • Alan Raybould

    (Innogen Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Old Surgeons’ Hall, High School Yards
    The University of Edinburgh)

  • Monica Hoyos Flight

    (Innogen Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Old Surgeons’ Hall, High School Yards)

  • Amy McGoohan

    (The University of Edinburgh)

Abstract

Future food production will need to deliver a healthy diet to a growing world population whilst also contributing to policy objectives such as achieving Net Zero emissions and addressing biodiversity loss. This article looks at circular economy solutions to this challenge, comparing McArthur Foundation and other approaches to both the circular material economy (e.g. focusing on steel, plastics, aluminium, and cement) and the circular bioeconomy (operating in sectors that include agriculture, food production and industrial biotechnology). A case study based on salmon farming in Scotland considers the roles of innovation from a range of technology sectors in contributing to these objectives. The concept of circularity, and the closed-loop thinking that it encourages, could attract attention towards less optimal production options just because they can be accommodated within a circular model. A ‘networked bioeconomy’ model, guided by cascading principles and fast-tracked using innovative technologies, may be more powerful than one based on rigid closed-loop circularity, in enabling policy makers and producers to understand how they can best contribute both to the conservation of biodiversity and to mitigating climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Joyce Tait & Alan Raybould & Monica Hoyos Flight & Amy McGoohan, 2023. "Circular and Networked Bioeconomies for Net-Zero Food Production: There is Nothing Magic About Circles," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(4), pages 1907-1918, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:circec:v:3:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s43615-022-00247-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00247-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karin Edvardsson Björnberg & Elisabeth Jonas & Håkan Marstorp & Pernilla Tidåker, 2015. "The Role of Biotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: Views and Perceptions among Key Actors in the Swedish Food Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-18, June.
    2. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
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