Politics and the plastic crisis: A review throughout the plastic life cycle

Abstract

This article surveys the politics of plastics through a reading and analysis of more than 180 scientific articles in the fields of environmental science and environmental studies. Despite the many benefits of plastics, the global plastic system is increasingly being recognized as the source of severe environmental problems. Rather than orient the investigation around specific venues, levels, or architectures of governance, our survey first follows plastic through its life cycle, and then considers the major categories of plastic objects addressed in the current literature, and the different approaches taken to each category. The politics of plastics is a growing field of inquiry, with the most rapid expansion in the areas of marine pollution and microplastics. Our consideration of plastic flows reveals increasing politicization towards the latter end of the life cycle, that is, plastic as waste and pollution. Turning to plastic objects, we observe different forms of mobilization, and varying connections between flows and objects, which allow for multiple interpretations of what is at stake. In the closing section, we consider two recent trends in the plastic governance discussion that take a more holistic view of the plastic crisis: attempts to construct (a) a circular plastics economy and (b) global plastics conventions or treaties. We end the paper by highlighting the need for studies to further investigate the norms and practices that maintain the role of plastics in society, as well as the political and economic arrangements that secure its overabundance and low price.

Rethinking and optimising plastic waste management under COVID-19 pandemic: Policy solutions based on redesign and reduction of single-use plastics and personal protective equipment

“…European Council, European Parliament and European Commission have even reached a preliminary political agreement that sets a target for recycling at 65% by 2025, to be increased to 70% by 2030, and a specific goal for plastic packaging recycling at 50% by 2025, to be increased to 55% by 2030 (European Commission, 2018; European Parliament and the Council, 2015). The increment of plastic recyclability is still a challenge, as it requires improvement of waste collection and plastic sorting approaches, along with the improvement of recycling streams (which are highly dependent on available infrastructures and economic resources) (Nielsen et al, 2020).…”

Air Pollution and Sea Pollution Seen from Space

“…Marine debris and litter represent nowadays a growing environmental problem and plastic, the largest component of litter, is now widely reported within the marine and as well as all natural environments on Earth. The problem is so huge that it represents threats to the environment, the economy, and human well-being on a global scale (Nielsen et al 2019). Despite its many benefits on land and extensive usage inside our societies, the plastics and other artificial debris are increasingly being recognized as the source of severe environmental problems, and in particular in the oceans.…”

Active Packaging—Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Films Enriched with Tomato By-Products Extract

“…The mission of food packaging is to maintain the quality and safety of food products during storage and transportation by avoiding circumstances such as dangerous microorganisms, external physical forces, chemical compounds, sunlight, volatile permeable compounds, or oxygen; plastic packaging has these properties [1]. The worldwide use of plastics and plastic packaging (~26% of the total plastics) represents an indispensable element of the global economy, with an overall financial worth of 260 billion USD in 2013 and with an increase in the estimated industrial production from 78 million tons in 2013 to 350 million tons in 2017 [2,3]. Although plastics present valuable functional advantages, like low cost, versatile design, and light weight, it also has a number of negative features, such as freshwater pollution [4] and ocean pollution [5].…”