Alentejo Wines and Olive Oil Sustainability Programs: Background of Absorptive Capacity in the Development of Circular Economy Business Models

The Alentejo sustainability programs for wine and olive oil seek different topics, such as the sectors’ integration in a philosophy of social, environmental, and economic well-being at both local and regional level; the business cooperation throughout the identification and comparison of the producers’ performance; the identification of improvements in production practices; and the statement of the certification scheme supported on sustainable production benchmark and the consequent recognition of the quality of Alentejo wines and olive oils for their sustainability performance. However, most companies find it difficult to integrate circular economy (CE) strategies and practices into their business models. To fill this gap, this chapter introduces an exploratory study investigating the backgrounds or antecedents of absorptive capacity in successful CE business cases, using a qualitative multiple-case study, field observation, and focus groups. Centering on the wine and olive oil sectors, 12 companies were interviewed, six for each program, using NVivo 12 for the analysis. The data were classified into first-order and second-order categories and then sorted into absorptive capacity dimensions. The results and their discussion highlight the relevant contribution of absorptive capacities to the CE in WASP and OASP firms.