Skip to main content
Knowledge category: Papers and reports

Cities and circular economy for food

Updated on 19.09.2023

The report offers a vision for a healthy food system fit for the 21st century and beyond, underpinned by the circular economy principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. In this vision, food production improves rather than degrades the environment, and all people have access to healthy and nutritious food.

Author: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, SYSTEMIQ
Year of publication: 2019

More information

For every dollar spent on food, society pays two dollars in health, environmental and economic costs. Half these costs – totalling USD 5.7 trillion each year globally – are due to the way food is produced. These USD 5.7 trillion costs are a direct result of the ‘linear’ nature of modern food production, which extracts finite resources, is wasteful and polluting, and harms natural systems.


This report focuses on the ability of urban food actors to catalyse this change by getting more value out of their food, and substantially influencing which food is produced and how. Work conducted with four focus cities – Brussels, Belgium; Guelph, Canada; Porto, Portugal; and São Paulo, Brazil – during the development of the report suggests cities have a major opportunity to apply these ambitions, regardless of their unique physical, demographic and socio-economic profiles. By shifting towards a circular economy for food, cities can help realise the vision and generate significant environmental, economic and health benefits within and beyond their boundaries.


The paper dives into three goals that cities can work towards to achieve a circular and regenerative food system:
 

  • source food grown regeneratively and locally where appropriate;
  • make the most of food (use by-products more effectively, prevent waste);
  • and design and market healthier food.


The paper provides practical ideas for steps and approaches that cities can take towards these goals. The involvement of actors across the value chain is considered and cross-industry solutions are suggested.

Relevance for Circular Systemic Solutions

Cities and regions can use the ideas presented in this paper as inspiration for designing Circular Systemic Solutions that aim to transform local food systems.

Territories involved

large 500 000-200 000, medium 200 000-50 000, and small cities 50 000-5 000

large metropolitan area >1.5 million, metropolitan area 1.5 million-500 000

predominantly urban regions, intermediate and predominantly rural regions, refer to TERCET typology NUTS 3 region

Intra-territorial areas

e.g. commercial, residential, service, industrial