Indian agribusiness is poised to create circular economies

India’s agribusiness sector is demonstrating huge potential as an untapped sector to promote circular economies, according to a new study.

Entitled “Exploring factors influencing circular economy adoption and firm-level practices in the agribusiness sector: an exploratory study of Indian firms,” the study was published in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability on December 14.

“The adoption of circular economy practices in the Indian agribusiness sector has emerged as a significant area of interest due to its potential to promote sustainability and optimize resource utilization,” wrote the study’s co-authors.

Written by Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur researchers Maaz Ahmad Khan and Ritika Mahajan, the study is the result of interviews with 17 managers and experts from business and academia.

The interviews reflected how sociocultural, economic, technological, strategic, and corporate organization and supply chain dynamics are major issues that advocates of sustainability must address if they want to expand the reuse and recycling of materials into new products to curb greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

The coauthors include that collaborative partnerships, designs that promote durable products, waste reduction and recycling programs, more efficient processes that exploit resources, and policies that advocate for circular economies can help address those issues.

“The implications of these findings underscore the importance of supportive policies, knowledge dissemination, and capacity-building initiatives,” the coauthors conclude. “These measures are crucial for promoting the widespread integration of circular economy practices among agribusiness firms.” ce/jd