Short answer
When designing for circularity in agrifood systems, move beyond solely technical and environmental metrics to include social equity and economic viability in your evaluation criteria.
- Field
- Sustainability
- Source
- Sustainability (2025)
- Method
- Realist Literature Review and Discussion
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Effective assessment of circular economy interventions in agrifood systems requires comprehensive frameworks that integrate technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions, moving beyond purely measurable technical and environmental aspects. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Sustainability. Using Realist literature review and discussion, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing for circularity in agrifood systems, move beyond solely technical and environmental metrics to include social equity and economic viability in your evaluation criteria.
Holistic Frameworks Essential for Evaluating Circular Economy Interventions in Agrifood Systems
Effective assessment of circular economy interventions in agrifood systems requires comprehensive frameworks that integrate technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions, moving beyond purely measurable technical and environmental aspects.
Sustainability · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Current assessment frameworks for circular economy interventions in agrifood systems predominantly focus on technical and environmental dimensions due to their measurability.
- 02There is a significant knowledge gap regarding the social and economic impacts of these interventions.
- 03A systems-thinking approach, stakeholder collaboration, and context-specific metrics are crucial for developing holistic and effective assessment tools.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing for circularity in agrifood systems, move beyond solely technical and environmental metrics to include social equity and economic viability in your evaluation criteria.
How to apply
When designing a new product or system for the agrifood sector that aims for circularity, develop a set of metrics that covers resource efficiency, waste reduction, social benefits (e.g., job creation, food security), and economic feasibility.
Project actions
- 01When evaluating your design, consider creating a simple matrix that scores your design against environmental, social, and economic goals.
- 02Think about who your stakeholders are (farmers, consumers, local communities) and how your design impacts them.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Addresses a critical gap in current circular economy assessment methodologies.
- +Advocates for a much-needed systems-thinking approach.
Limitations
It can be challenging to quantify social and economic impacts accurately within the scope of a typical design project.
Reliability & validity
The review's findings are based on a synthesis of existing literature, so reliability and validity depend on the quality of the original studies reviewed. The proposed holistic framework offers a path towards more valid assessments.
Think critically
How can designers effectively balance the pursuit of measurable environmental benefits with the often less quantifiable but equally important social and economic considerations in their design projects?
Design Principles
"Design for holistic impact assessment by integrating technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions."
Designers and engineers working on agrifood systems need to consider the multifaceted impacts of their circular economy solutions. A narrow focus on easily quantifiable metrics can overlook critical social and economic factors, leading to interventions that are technically sound but not practically viable or equitable.
What This Means for Your Design
When you design something to be 'circular' in farming or food, don't just check if it saves resources or reduces waste. You also need to think about how it affects people and if it makes economic sense.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing the limitations of focusing solely on environmental metrics in your design evaluation.
- 2.Use the concept of holistic frameworks to justify the inclusion of social and economic criteria in your design testing and analysis.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the critical need for holistic assessment frameworks when evaluating circular economy interventions, particularly in complex systems like agrifood. Beyond measurable technical and environmental factors, it emphasizes the importance of integrating social and economic dimensions to ensure the true sustainability and viability of design solutions. Therefore, this design project will adopt a multi-faceted evaluation approach, considering not only resource efficiency and waste reduction but also user experience, community impact, and economic feasibility.
Source
Sustainability
Experiences in Assessing the Impact of Circular Economy Interventions in Agrifood Systems—A Review
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about holistic frameworks essential for evaluating circular economy interventions in agrifood systems?
- When designing for circularity in agrifood systems, move beyond solely technical and environmental metrics to include social equity and economic viability in your evaluation criteria. Evidence: Sustainability (2025).
- Why does "Holistic Frameworks Essential for Evaluating Circular Economy Interventions in Agrifood Systems" matter for design?
- Designers and engineers working on agrifood systems need to consider the multifaceted impacts of their circular economy solutions. A narrow focus on easily quantifiable metrics can overlook critical social and economic factors, leading to interventions that are technically sound but not practically viable or equitable.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing for circularity in agrifood systems, move beyond solely technical and environmental metrics to include social equity and economic viability in your evaluation criteria.
- What were the main findings?
- Current assessment frameworks for circular economy interventions in agrifood systems predominantly focus on technical and environmental dimensions due to their measurability.. There is a significant knowledge gap regarding the social and economic impacts of these interventions.. A systems-thinking approach, stakeholder collaboration, and context-specific metrics are crucial for developing holistic and effective assessment tools.
- What research method was used?
- Realist Literature Review and Discussion.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Sustainability.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a new product or system for the agrifood sector that aims for circularity, develop a set of metrics that covers resource efficiency, waste reduction, social benefits (e.g., job creation, food security), and economic feasibility.
- What are the limitations?
- The review highlights a general lack of robust methodologies and data for comprehensive CE assessment, particularly in real-world contexts and for low- and middle-income countries.