Adopting circular strategies in different vertical farms yields comparable environmental impact reductions

Vertical farms are an emerging industry that can enhance urban food self-sufficiency but must align with environmental goals. This study assesses whether circular economy strategies improve the environmental performance of two European VFs—VF 1 in Spain and VF 2 in Sweden—with differing technological maturity and geographical contexts. Life cycle assessment shows that energy use is the main contributor to environmental impacts, accounting for up to 88% in both cases. Circular strategies such as closed-loop irrigation, waste heat reuse, and material recycling reduce impacts by 7–77%. To compare their maturity level, scenario analyses (Current, Linear, Improvement) reveal that VF 1 offers higher potential for future gains (e.g., 29% reduction in global warming impacts), compared to VF 2 (34% reduction potential). These findings underscore the relevance of broader changes in upstream production systems, technology maturity and site-specific conditions in shaping the sustainability of VFs, and emphasize the need for further research into context-dependent factors influencing their environmental performance. • Energy use drives up to 88% of vertical farm environmental impacts. • Circular strategies cut impacts by 7–77%, varying by context. • Vertical farms shows up to 24% improvement potential in the future • Tech maturity and local conditions shape VF sustainability outcomes.