Are Agri-Food Systems Really Switching to a Circular Economy Model? Implications for European Research and Innovation Policy
Department of Economics, Management and Territory, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy
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Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5554; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145554
Received: 30 May 2020
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Revised: 3 July 2020
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Accepted: 7 July 2020
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Published: 10 July 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards More Sustainable Food Systems: A Circular Economy Approach)
The shift from a linear model to a circular model can significantly reduce the negative pressures on the environment and contribute to restoring biodiversity and natural capital in Europe. In this view, research and innovation (R&I) play a relevant role in setting the modalities of this transition. Therefore, the European Commission (EC) recently promoted dedicated research activity instruments in this vital area of the economy and in society as a whole. This paper aims to shed light on current public efforts on R&I supporting the transition to the CE (circular economy) model, opening a critical debate on the actual relevance of the CE in current R&I policy with its major research policy schemes in the recent programming periods of 2007–2013 and 2014–2020. Looking at the most significant EC programs sponsoring R&I, it seems that the will to increase the sustainability of the agri-food system and to foster the socio-technical transition towards circularity is evident but not very relevant. The data presented leaves some open questions concerning the effective commitment of European countries to promoting resource efficiency via R&I.
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Keywords:
agri-food; university-industry collaboration; circular economy; sustainability; research and innovation policy
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MDPI and ACS Style
Muscio, A.; Sisto, R. Are Agri-Food Systems Really Switching to a Circular Economy Model? Implications for European Research and Innovation Policy. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5554. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145554
AMA Style
Muscio A, Sisto R. Are Agri-Food Systems Really Switching to a Circular Economy Model? Implications for European Research and Innovation Policy. Sustainability. 2020; 12(14):5554. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145554
Chicago/Turabian StyleMuscio, Alessandro, and Roberta Sisto. 2020. "Are Agri-Food Systems Really Switching to a Circular Economy Model? Implications for European Research and Innovation Policy" Sustainability 12, no. 14: 5554. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145554
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