System dynamics modeling of food loss and waste in the Norwegian seafood sector: Toward a circular economy

As global attention shifts towards sustainable practices, the seafood sector faces significant sustainability challenges, driven by the rising demand for seafood due to population growth and increasing awareness of its health benefits. However, limited resources and lack of consideration for loss and waste in the fish value chain threaten the productivity of natural fish stocks, underscoring the urgent need for strategies that promote sustainability and circularity. The seafood value chain is highly complex, involving interconnected environmental, economic, and social factors that demand integrated and adaptive approaches to ensure its sustainability. Focusing on where loss and waste occur within the wild-capture seafood value chains, this paper presents a system dynamics model designed to assess and enhance sustainability and circularity. The model identifies key points of loss and waste and, by capturing the intricate interactions among various factors across the value chain, utilizes data from Norway’s whitefish industry to simulate scenarios such as advancements in fishing technology, changes in consumer behavior, and potential regulatory interventions. By incorporating the insights derived from our analyses, stakeholders and policymakers can develop targeted interventions to reduce seafood loss and waste, enhancing the economic efficiency and environmental sustainability of the seafood value chain. These insights focus on critical stages of the value chain, from harvest and processing to distribution and retail, enabling strategies that address specific inefficiencies and promote circular practices across the entire system. • Developed a system dynamics model to assess food loss and waste in the Norwegian seafood value chain. • Identified key food loss and waste drivers through expert interviews and incorporated them into a quantitative simulation framework. • Simulated policy scenarios involving fishing technology, rest raw material regulations, consumer behavior, and retailer practices. • Provided actionable insights to support circularity and sustainability in wild-capture seafood systems.