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Journalists in a circular economy: Stakeholders’ engagement in the media discourse on single-use plastics during the COVID-19 pandemic
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This study evaluated methods for identifying microplastic polymers using Raman spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms. The combination of spectroscopic analysis with automated classification substantially improved the accuracy and throughput of microplastic identification, offering a more efficient alternative to manual spectral interpretation for large sample sets.
The world faces an alarming plastic waste problem. The volume of plastic waste is rapidly and continuously increasing, mainly due to the single-use plastics overconsumption, whereas its recycling and utilization leave much to be desired. Despite the negative effects of plastic on the environment and public health, the COVID-19 outbreak shifted the public attention away from the environmental issues, potentially giving space for extended lobbyism by interest groups and industry to delay or even prevent legislation to combat plastic pollution. Our study aims to understand how the media discourse on single-use plastic (SUP) in particular, evolves in the course of the pandemic. How it vary across EU Member States? For this purpose, we specifically analyse plastic-related articles in major prestigious daily newspapers published between June 2019 and June 2021 in four EU Member States: Germany, France, Italy, and Poland, as countries with different levels of sustainable transition to form a representative model of an European context. Additionally, between November 2022 and January 2023, we conducted a series of interviews via Google Meet, with journalists who agreed to be asked on the plastic issues they upraised. Our analysis initially covered 1076 articles, out of which 198 articles were rejected due to non-compliance with the subject or repetition, leaving 878 articles forming the database for eventual analysis. Specifically, we outline a key impact of the COVID-19 pandemic followed by a clear evolution on the number of plastic-related articles, on related stakeholder engagement, and the focus on specific SUP items. Moreover, we address a research gap - presenting a media portrait of different types of SUP in more details and highlighting the significance based on several culturally and linguistically very different countries within a single supranational state (EU). A clear trend reversal towards an informed knowledge circulation across the circular economy model of single-use plastics is ultimately essential to develop sustainable solutions to reject the disposable culture, stop the waste of natural resources, and reduce the consumption of oil or gas for plastic production and thus protect the climate.
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This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened plastic waste management by driving up PPE use and making virgin plastics cheaper than recycled alternatives, with 40% of plastic waste ending up in landfills globally. Researchers propose circular economy strategies—including feedstock recycling and waste valorization into fuels and building materials—to address the mounting crisis.
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Researchers analyzed how two mainstream Norwegian mass media outlets address plastic waste issues in the Nordic region, examining their pro-environmental framing, stakeholder engagement strategies, and the constraints they face in driving government, NGO, and public action on plastic waste management.
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This study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic led governments and industry to deprioritize single-use plastic reduction policies in favor of hygiene and health concerns. Policy analysis showed that the pandemic was used as justification to reverse plastic reduction commitments and increase single-use plastic consumption.
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a shift to a plastic circular economy
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Researchers argue that the COVID-19 pandemic's surge in single-use plastic demand exposes deep flaws in linear plastic waste management, calling for coordinated action by governments, industry, and researchers to shift toward circular economy principles including intelligent design and sustainable upcycling of plastics.
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