EXPLORING CIRCULAR ECONOMY READINESS AND PACKAGING TRANSITION IN FOOD DELIVERY ESTABLISHMENTS

Packaging systems play a strategic role in Food Engineering by ensuring food protection, preservation, transportation, and operational performance throughout online food delivery systems. Although recent literature has largely focused on packaging materials, environmental impacts, and consumer behavior, limited attention has been given to how food delivery establishments are prepared to transition toward more circular packaging systems. Since circular transitions involve multiple operational and supply chain processes, multidimensional assessment approaches are needed to capture organizations' readiness for sustainable packaging transition.

This exploratory study proposes and empirically applies a multidimensional framework to assess Circular Economy Readiness (CER) for packaging transition among food delivery establishments through six complementary dimensions: Circular Packaging Practices (CPP), Waste Management and Closing Loops (WM), Circular Economy Awareness (CEA), Circular Transition Readiness (CTR), Consumer Engagement and Post-consumption Responsibility (CEP), and Supply Chain and Packaging Decision Criteria (SCP). An exploratory quantitative and descriptive study was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 58 Brazilian food service establishments operating in online food delivery. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, ranking of decision criteria, and structured content analysis of open-ended responses.

Results indicate that packaging decisions are primarily driven by operational requirements related to food preservation, thermal performance, leakage prevention, and transportation reliability. Paper-based packaging (67.2%) and plastic materials (55.2%), together with expanded polystyrene (EPS) food containers (53.4%)—a specific type of plastic widely used in food delivery—were the most prevalent packaging materials. Biodegradable alternatives represented only 1.7% of the reported solutions. Although 69% of establishments expressed willingness to adopt more sustainable packaging, CER remains constrained by operational feasibility, supplier availability, purchasing limitations, existing packaging inventories, and uncertainty regarding the technical performance of alternative materials under delivery conditions.

Across the six dimensions, CER proved heterogeneous, indicating that sustainable packaging transition extends beyond material substitution. Readiness depends on integrating packaging performance, supply chain coordination, waste management practices, consumer participation, and organizational capabilities. The proposed framework contributes to Food Engineering by providing an initial conceptual and empirical foundation for assessing circular economy readiness in online food delivery, supporting the future development of circularity indicators and decision-support tools for sustainable packaging transitions.