UCL Centre for Sustainable Business Co-Director and Professor Paolo Taticchi’s most recent white paper explores how circular economy principles are being applied to agriculture in response to growing environmental, economic and social pressures.
Titled Circular Economy in Agriculture: Stories from Italy, the publication examines how food production can move away from more wasteful models towards regenerative and resilient methods.
Developed with the support of Tecno International, the Italian Consulate General in London and British American Tobacco (BAT), the paper showcases three case studies - Quintosapore, JustOnEarth and Zero Farms - that reflect different approaches to embedding circularity into agricultural systems. Together, they illustrate how local adaptation, closed-loop thinking and technological innovation are enabling new models of production that reduce waste, regenerate ecosystems and support long-term food security.
The paper evaluates the economic, environmental, and strategic implications of circular agriculture, positioning it not as a return to traditional methods, but as a system redesign rooted in ecological intelligence and enabled by digital tools. It highlights how regenerative practices, data-driven decision-making and decentralised infrastructures can reshape the sector’s role within broader climate and sustainability goals.
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, the case studies reflect context-specific models that are scalable, transferable and tailored to local conditions. Key themes include the importance of integrating governance, infrastructure and knowledge-sharing from the outset and treating circularity not as a retrofit, but as a foundational principle.
The paper contributes to the growing body of work calling for a transformation in how agriculture is designed, governed, and financed. It offers a timely perspective on how circularity can inform more resilient and future-ready food systems.
