Can we shop ourselves to a clean sea? An experimental panel approach to assess the persuasiveness of private labels as a private governance approach to microplastic pollution

Misund, Andreas; Tiller, Rachel; Canning‐Clode, João; Freitas, Mafalda; Schmidt, Jörn; Javidpour, Jamileh

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110927

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Another factor influencing behaviors regarding MP is the country or culture. For example, for similar levels of knowledge, the willingness to pay for MP-free products is higher in Portugal than in Germany and Norway (Misund et al, 2020 ). However, few studies compare attitudes toward MP among different countries.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greater willingness to reduce microplastics consumption in Mexico than in Spain supports the importance of legislation on the use of plastics

et al. 2023

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IntroductionMicroplastics (MP) threaten all organisms worldwide. MP are produced directly as microbeads in cosmetics and hygiene products, or indirectly from breakage of larger plastics. The control of MP requires consumers' engagement to refuse products containing microbeads.MethodsWe conducted a survey on 572 university students from Mexico and Spain, two countries where microbeads are not banned yet. More strict laws for plastic control areenforced in Mexico than in Spain.ResultsControlling for age and education, despite knowing less about MP, Mexicans checked for microbeads on product labels more frequently than Spaniards, and desired to reduce MP consumption more. A stronger correlation between individual awareness and willingness of MP control was found for Mexican than for Spanish students.DiscussionPerhaps more strict legislation against plastics creates an environment favorable to MP control. Unclear statement of microbeads on labels was the main reason for not checking microbead contents; environmental education and a stricter control of plastics and MP were identified as necessary policy changes in the two countries. Corporation engagement on clearer product labeling is also suggested.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greater willingness to reduce microplastics consumption in Mexico than in Spain supports the importance of legislation on the use of plastics

et al. 2023

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“…Vince and Hardesty (2017) examine the value of economic and market-based instruments within the framework of a global agreement. Third party certifications and a "Plastic Stewardship Council" (Landon-Lane, 2018) are argued to provide impactful policies that are not solely self-regulated, so long it is industry endorsed, though Misund et al (2020) found in a study from three European nations that the consumer willingness to pay for such labels (plastic free for example) were inversely linked to political trust in the given country. The use of industry licensing with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are also identified as integral parts in future agreements (Monroe, 2013;Chen, 2015;Borrelle et al, 2017;Lam et al, 2018;Landon-Lane, 2018;Forrest et al, 2019;Schröder and Chillcott, 2019;Raubenheimer and Urho, 2020) and are examined later in this review as a separate approach.…”

Section: Economy Of Change?mentioning

confidence: 99%

What Shall We Do With a Sea of Plastics? A Systematic Literature Review on How to Pave the Road Toward a Global Comprehensive Plastic Governance Agreement

Cowan

Tiller

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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In February 2022, the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) is expected to mandate negotiations for a legally binding plastic agreement. In preparations for such discussions, it is important to understand the academic research behind what a global treaty on plastic will require to succeed. Therefore, a systematic literature review was conducted on 64 peer-reviewed articles published before July 4th, 2021, that focused on global plastic governance and avenues to mitigate our pollution crisis. Once reviewed, the articles were organized into a series of four main categories: (1) plastic pollution overview articles, (2) top-down solutions, (3) bottom-up solutions, and finally a (4) global treaty as a solution. The analysis of these articles enabled an overarching review and discussion of what the literature suggested is required for the creation of a global plastics agreement. First, the researchers argued that previous global plastics governance literature is characterized by an optimist governance perspective, i.e., a view of governance as a problem-solving mechanism. Second, global plastics governance as a research field could make headway by engaging in further empirical investigation of current negotiations and solutions at the national level, especially in developing nations. In the end we found that a global agreement is feasible if it allows for multi-stakeholder solutions involving industry, governance, stakeholders, and citizens.

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“…• Ecolabeling: Reduce the adverse environmental impacts of products and raise awareness among consumers when purchasing products [160]. Ecolabels are only given to products respecting strict criteria and are regulated (ER Regulation 66/2010 on EU Ecolabel).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, rinse-off cosmetic products with microplastics cannot acquire the EU Ecolabel [35], and only products containing an elevated proportion of recycled plastics obtain the Nordic Swan Ecolabel [108]. Although imposing ecological requirements can represent a solution to cope with this issue, consumers would seldom choose labeled microplastic-free products when the label comes along with an additional "ecological" cost [160]. However, microplastics-free labels convey information about companies' environmental consciousness and enforce the idea of communicating political and ethical preferences through conscious consumption [160].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Private governance: MBI efficiency tackling microplastics is only feasible with nonfragmented governance involving third-party organizations [161,162]. Even though challenging certification systems could be used as transnational instruments for environmental standards through the orchestration of several actors and directives, certification labels to prevent microplastic pollution are not as effective as top-down governance methods encouraging consumers to pay more for eco-friendly alternatives through state regulatory frameworks [160].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Microplastics: A Review of Policies and Responses

et al. 2022

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Although (micro)plastic contamination is a worldwide concern, most scientific literature only restates that issue rather than presenting strategies to cope with it. This critical review assembles the current knowledge on policies and responses to tackle plastic pollution, including peer-reviewed scientific literature, gray literature and relevant reports to provide: (1) a timeline of policies directly or indirectly addressing microplastics; (2) the most up-to-date upstream responses to prevent microplastics pollution, such as circular economy, behavioral change, development of bio-based polymers and market-based instruments as well as source-specific strategies, focusing on the clothing industry, tire and road wear particles, antifouling paints and recreational activities; (3) a set of downstream responses tackling microplastics, such as waste to energy, degradation, water treatment plants and litter clean-up strategies; and examples of (4) multifaceted responses focused on both mitigating and preventing microplastics pollution, e.g., approaches implemented in fisheries and aquaculture facilities. Preventive strategies and multifaceted responses are postulated as pivotal to handling the exacerbated release of microplastics in the environment, while downstream responses stand out as auxiliary strategies to the chief upstream responses. The information gathered here bridges the knowledge gaps on (micro)plastic pollution by providing a synthesized baseline material for further studies addressing this environmental issue.

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Can we shop ourselves to a clean sea? An experimental panel approach to assess the persuasiveness of private labels as a private governance approach to microplastic pollution

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Greater willingness to reduce microplastics consumption in Mexico than in Spain supports the importance of legislation on the use of plastics

Greater willingness to reduce microplastics consumption in Mexico than in Spain supports the importance of legislation on the use of plastics

What Shall We Do With a Sea of Plastics? A Systematic Literature Review on How to Pave the Road Toward a Global Comprehensive Plastic Governance Agreement

Microplastics: A Review of Policies and Responses

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