Contextualising circular economies – Insights from the urban food waste literature

Food Waste (FW) has been identified as an increasingly urgent global problem, above all due to the associated economic, social and ethical consequences and high environmental costs. The circular economy (CE) concept is widely discussed as an approach to rethinking resource use and minimising waste and energy. Only recently have geographers begun advancing this field, calling for a deeper understanding of how, where, and why circular economies emerge and thrive across various spatial scales. Informed by the geography of sustainability transitions literature, this paper employs a systematic literature review of 52 papers published between 2018 and 2024 to address two aims: First, we provide critical reflections into understandings of CE for the FW sector. We then explore the question in how far contextual and spatial aspects have been considered in the literature on implementing and maintaining CE of FW. We focus on the issue in urban settings as an increasingly important sink of food as urbanisation increases on a global scale. The findings reveal a narrow and largely uncritical understanding of the CE, often framed as technological or managerial fixes rather than systemic transformations. Potential negative consequences, such as the commodification of food waste and the reinforcement of existing inequalities, are rarely considered. The literature also overemphasises public sector actors and often overlooks the contributions of social enterprises, start-ups and community initiatives. Moreover, we find a distinct focus on the material flow of FW through urban spaces, while the role of actor relationships and networks for the CE, including urban-rural linkages, are largely absent from current debates.