Unravelling circular best practices in the pasta and bread supply chains: insights from Italy

The pasta and bread supply chains play a pivotal role in the global economy, producing essential nutritional foods as prominent sources of macronutrients, micronutrients, dietary fibre, and antioxidants. However, these chains are also notable for their significant waste production, generating substantial environmental impacts along the supply chain. In this scenario, adopting circular economy strategies emerges as a suitable solution to mitigate these problems. Considering the characteristics of pasta and bread products and their production process, many opportunities for applying the circular economy throughout the supply chain occur, encompassing both pre-consumption and post- consumption phases. Academic literature has started exploring the possibilities of applying circular practices within these supply chains, primarily focusing on environmental impacts and food loss and waste assessments. Furthermore, research on the bread industry has mainly analysed the opportunity to valorise wasted bread as feedstock for biofuel production. To the best of the authors' knowledge, comprehensive studies on circular best practices specifically tailored to the pasta and bread industries are still missing despite these developments. Accordingly, the present research aims to fill this gap by conducting an exploratory analysis of circular economy best practices in the Italian pasta and bread industry. More specifically, by conducting an in- depth literature review and a detailed content analysis of circular economy practices adopted by Italian companies, this research aims to outline the state-of-the-art practices and assess the maturity level of these supply chains in the circular transition. Furthermore, challenges, improvement opportunities, and managerial implications will be discussed.