The Importance of the Circular Economy Concept among Organizations within the Food Sector and a Management Systems Perspective

Abstract

The concept of the circular economy is becoming an increasingly important issue within the economic and political sphere. The aim of the study is to check the opinions of representatives of organizations on the need to act in accordance with the principles of the circular economy concept in organizations and to indicate the differences in these opinions, taking into account the following aspects: the number of implemented management systems and the FSMS implementation. The survey method was used in the study. The surveyed organizations were divided into groups according to two criteria: having implemented food safety management systems and the total number of implemented management systems. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze differences between groups. The conducted research showed that the organizations with more than three MSSs perceive a greater need to act in accordance with the principles of the CE than other companies. There was no sufficient proof to support the hypothesis concerning the higher engagement of food sector organizations in circular economy activities. The size of the organization is a factor that is also irrelevant in this context.