Enhancing circular economy in the mushroom production chain: systematic literature review and field study in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

This study is the first to comprehensively investigate the potential of circular economy (CE) principles to enhance the sustainability of mushroom production, focusing on resource efficiency and waste reduction. A systematic literature review conducted in 2024 assessed the global state of CE applications in mushroom cultivation, emphasizing eight commonly cultivated species in Vietnam: Lentinula edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, Trametes versicolor, Hericium erinaceus, Cordyceps militaris, Auricularia heimuer, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Volvariella volvacea. The systematic literature review, covering 42 articles from Scopus and 46 from Web of Science, revealed a predominant focus on spent mushroom substrate (SMS) utilization, with limited attention to water recirculation, renewable energy, plastic recycling, and circular business models. In addition, we conducted 20 in-depth interviews with stakeholders across the mushroom production chain in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, identifying existing CE practices and opportunities for optimization. The study's novelty lies in its pioneering integration of systematic review and field study in the mushroom industry in the area. We propose CE recommendations for enhancing resource utilization and reducing environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. Our analysis showed that research on mushroom byproduct transformation largely focuses on SMS utilization for composting, ignoring other production processes such as the development of mushroom co-products at the output phase and plastic and water reuse during the production phase. Application of CE principles during the entire mushroom value chain and diversification of the use of mushroom waste and by-products are therefore necessary to provide additional benefits to mushroom production.