Governance of the circular economy in the canned fish industry: A case study from Spain

Abstract

Spain is the leading country in production, 305,403 tons in 2022, of canned fish in Europe. Part of its success is because this industry is one of the leading sectors in innovation and technology transfer within the agri-food chain in Spain. At the beginning of the 21st century, its research center created a line of product valorization, the seed of current research on circular economy. This article aims to analyze, from the New Institutional Economics (NIE) approach, the process of institutional change and the evolution of the Spanish canned fish sector. The evolution of the legal framework, as well as the internal organization of the sector and its strategies, have modified the governance relationships, altering the incentives and transaction costs of the industry actors. The results show the existence of two distinct stages, 2007–2015 and 2016–2022. In the first stage, most of the research projects were regional in nature and institutional relations were more limited. In the second stage, the creation of a solid legal framework together with the inauguration of a new research center, the incorporation of new equipment, the increase in the number of partners and the increase in relations with agents in the sector reinforced the implementation of the circular economy in the canning industry. In both periods, the high degree of associationism in the Spanish canned fish industry is key to creating economies of scale, increasing public and private collaborations and participating in research projects.