Industry 4.0 technologies and the critical success factors for transitioning to circular agri-food supply chains

This research aims to analyze the circular economy (CE) practices adopted by agri-food supply chains (ASC) and how Industry 4.0 technologies assist this process, identifying the critical success factors (CSF) for the transition to circular supply chains (CSC) in the context of the food industry. For that, we conducted a systematic literature review of 79 articles using the Scopus database, on the intersection of Food Industry 4.0 and circular supply chains. Our findings underscore stakeholder collaboration as the most frequently cited CSF, emphasizing the exchange of knowledge, information, and problem-solving solutions. Notably, the most cited CE practice is material reuse, emphasizing the importance of repurposing materials discarded in one phase of the production process, for use in another. Lastly, Internet of Things is the most cited industry 4.0 technology, as it helps companies in understanding and linking different parts of the production system. The main contribution of this study resides in the systematic categorization of the subjects in the extant literature to convey, to both industry practitioners and researchers, a better understanding of the discourse in the intersections of food supply chain and CE.