Accelerating the transition towards a Circular Economy and sustainable food waste management - The case of Singapore

Abstract

Contemporary industries have a high throughput of materials without reusing or recycling resources, with detrimental consequences for ecosystems and climate globally. The food industry is such a typical linear production system concerning tremendous amount of waste. A sustainable solution might be the Circular Economy (CE), which aims to decouple material use from economic growth by looping materials back into the economy. However, little is known about what a transition towards a CE entails and how the transition can be measured. Furthermore, the fact that little research has been conducted on socio-institutional change is indicated as a major obstacle for the implementation of a CE. Transition studies, however, see technological innovation as the solution to the transition towards sustainability, while other dimensions, such as socio-institutional change, are less elaborated on. Applying the TIS-framework to study a CE transition in the food industry in Singapore, a structural analysis, with actors, institutions, networks and infrastructure of the TIS was conducted. Subsequently a functional analysis was made on how the TIS is performing for which 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with expert and key stakeholders. Assessing the various technological and socio-institutional solutions brought about in Singapore, the focal TIS in a (pre)-development phase. The lack of market formation for circular food waste products is blocking the overall development of the TIS, with low investments by the industry and low consumer demand. The function of legitimacy is weakening the function of market formation since consumers perceive circular food as unsanitary and consumers’ and businesses’ disposal habits are formed around a convenient waste management infrastructure. The function of guidance of the search is also blocking the development of the focal TIS, since the vision and strategies set by the government favor technological recycling solutions for heterogeneous waste over reduction initiatives. Recommendations for policy reform are based on overcoming resistance of current disposal habits of consumers and the industry to improve the hampering function of creating legitimacy for the focal TIS. Moreover, altering perceptions of consumers about circular products is required to increase demand and, in doing so, enhance market formation, while adjustment of current long-term policies is needed to induce guidance of the search towards reduction and recycling innovations.