Investigating and assessing social performance as an outcome of circular economy practices implementation in the food supply chains and the respective impact on economic and environmental performance

Circular economy (CE) has emerged as a key paradigm for enhancing resource efficiency and sustainability in food supply chains (FSCs), which are characterised by high levels of waste, inefficiency and social vulnerability. While existing research has extensively examined the economic and environmental implications of CE practice adoption, the social value generated through CE operations remains underexplored, particularly from a quantitative perspective. This study addresses this gap by systematically examining the social performance outcomes of CE practices within FSCs and their interrelationships with environmental and economic performance. Drawing on a mixed theoretical foundation integrating institutional theory, stakeholder theory, diffusion of innovation, resource-based view, and the natural resource-based view, the study develops a conceptual framework that explains CE practice adoption through institutional pressures (coercive, normative and mimetic) and examines how socially embedded CE practices contribute to broader sustainability outcomes. Adopting a critical realist triangulation and a mixed-methods research design, this study is implemented in two complementary phases. Phase 1 employs panel data analysis (PDA) of secondary data from 151 food production companies across the period 2018-2021. Fixed effects (FE) regression models are used to empirically test the proposed framework, identifying statistically significant relationships between CE practices and social performance indicators, while also revealing indirect effects of environmental and economic performance. Phase 2 complements these findings through a life cycle assessment (LCA) case study of anaerobic digestion (AD) in kerbside household food waste collection, providing process-level environmental evidence that explains key mechanisms underlying the PDA results. The findings demonstrate that CE practices embedded within core operational processes, rather than peripheral corporate social responsibility initiatives, generate measurable social value while simultaneously supporting environmental efficiency and economic performance. The study contributes to CE and FSC literature by advancing a theory-informed, empirically validated understanding of social value creation in circular systems and by integrating PDA and LCA approaches within a unified analytical framework. These insights offer practical implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to design CE strat