How Circular Startups Are Changing the Future of Food and Packaging

Imagine a food industry where leftovers don’t end up in the trash but become a resource instead. Where technology monitors waste to ensure nothing is squandered, and packaging isn’t single-use but returns to circulation. Sounds like a vision of the future? For many startups, it’s already reality. 

When Startups Take on the Challenge of Food Waste 

Startups have become pioneers of innovation, pushing the entire industry closer to a circular economy. Until recently, however, there was no clear map — no framework to show exactly how these young companies contribute and where they fit within the system. That’s precisely what a new research study set out to uncover by analyzing 79 agri-food startups. 

Based on the research, the startups were grouped into three main types — each offering a distinct approach to tackling food waste: 

• Biotech-driven sustainable producers: Using biotechnology, they transform waste into valuable resources and demonstrate that the food chain can be closed in much smarter ways. 

• Digital CE enablers: Through apps, sensors, and smart platforms, they can track where waste occurs and find more efficient solutions. They connect farmers, retailers, and consumers, proving that data can be the key to sustainability. 

• Circular packaging pioneers: Instead of one-off solutions, they bring returnable, reusable, and recycled alternatives. They look for ways to make packaging part of the circular system — not a problem that ends up in a landfill. 

“This typology serves as a compass for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers, showing where the greatest potential lies and what strategies can turn circular startups into the driving force of a more resilient and sustainable food system,” explains Jan Kubálek, researcher at the Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE) and co-author of the study. 

Startups Are Changing the Rules of the Food Industry 

The typology revealed how diverse the approaches of startups can be when engaging with the circular economy. Each group uses different tools and strategies. But what do they all have in common? They all hold significant potential to move the food industry forward. 

“Large companies often face the challenge of having to change long-established processes. Startups don’t have to deal with that — they can build their business models as circular from the ground up. That gives them the advantage of being bolder and finding innovative solutions that often rewrite the rules of the industry,” concludes Michal Kuděj, researcher at VŠE and co-author of the study.