Food and water systems continue to operate largely through linear models in which resources are extracted, used and discarded. As a result, significant quantities of food, water, nutrients, energy and valuable materials are lost across production, processing, distribution and consumption.

We support translating circular-economy concepts into practical strategies, programmes, tools and investment opportunities facilitating the transition towards circular models that prevent resource losses, extend the productive use of food and water, and recover value from unavoidable by-products and waste streams.

Our work connects circularity with food and water security, climate resilience, resource efficiency and economic opportunity.

Circular food systems aim to retain the value of food, nutrients and materials throughout the food supply chain. The priority is to prevent food loss and waste before it occurs, while ensuring that surplus food and unavoidable by-products are directed towards their highest-value uses.

We undertake food-loss and resource-flow assessments, identify priority intervention points, and support the design of practical programmes and circular business models. Our work includes:

• Preventing food loss during production, harvesting, storage, processing, transport and distribution.
• Reducing food waste in retail, hospitality, institutions and households.
• Strengthening food redistribution and surplus-food recovery systems.
• Improving packaging to protect food, extend shelf life and reduce unnecessary material consumption and waste.
• Promoting reusable, refillable, recyclable and, where appropriate, compostable packaging solutions.
• Developing circular products, services and business models that improve the use of food by-products and recover nutrients, energy and materials from unavoidable organic residues.
• Measuring food loss and waste and identifying priority intervention points.
• Developing good-practice guidance, tools and capacity-development programmes for food-system stakeholders.

Circular water systems seek to reduce water losses, use water more efficiently and enable water to be safely reused several times at its highest appropriate value. We assess water use and resource flows, identify opportunities for greater circularity, and support the design of practical water-efficiency and reuse solutions. Our work includes:

• Identifying opportunities to improve water-use efficiency and reduce water losses and unnecessary consumption.
• Identifying opportunities for fit-for-purpose water reuse.
• Promoting closed-loop and water-efficient production systems.
• Reducing the water footprint of products, services and supply chains.
• Integrating water circularity into agri-food systems and business operations.
• Conducting water-footprint assessments and developing tools and guidance to support improved water management.

Food and water circularity are closely interconnected. Food that is lost or wasted also represents wasted water, energy, land, inputs and labour.

At the same time, water reuse, nutrient recovery and the productive use of organic residues can reduce production costs and create new resources for agriculture, industry and local economies.

Thriving Solutions applies a systems approach to identify how food, water, nutrients and materials move through supply chains and where their value is being lost. Through stakeholder engagement, project and programme design, and circularity assessments, we help translate these findings into practical and scalable solutions. This helps identify opportunities to:

• Prevent losses at their source.
• Connect surplus resources with potential users.
• Replace disposal with redistribution, reuse, recovery or valorisation.
• Develop linkages between producers, processors, retailers, service providers and resource-recovery enterprises.
• Design integrated circular solutions that generate environmental, social and economic value.
• Identify viable projects, partnerships, business opportunities and pathways for scaling circular solutions.