We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Building Evidence-based Frameworks For Regulating Plastic Alternatives and Non-Plastic Substitutes: A Case Study Of Ghana
AI summary Read the abstract
Switching from single-use plastics to "eco-friendly" alternatives sounds like a win, but this paper argues that without the right evidence and planning, these swaps could backfire—creating new environmental problems or unfairly burdening low-income communities, especially in places like Ghana that already struggle with plastic waste and flooding. The researchers propose a checklist of evidence policymakers should gather (covering fairness, community input, and environmental impact) before rolling out plastic substitutes, so that solutions to plastic pollution don't end up causing new health or economic harms for vulnerable populations.
Plastic pollution presents acute environmental, public health, and socio-economic challenges across the Global South, where rapid urbanisation and weak waste management systems intensify its impacts. In Ghana, the accumulation of single-use plastic waste has contributed to recurrent flooding in urban spaces, environmental degradation, and the disruption of economic livelihoods. These consequential effects of plastic waste pollution in Ghana expose the limits of recent policy responses that focus primarily on waste management reform. While plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes are increasingly promoted as solutions, there is limited clarity on the types of evidence required to design regulatory and commercialisation frameworks that are both environmentally effective and socially just, as part of a larger effort to advance the transition away from single-use plastics. This paper addresses that gap by employing a theoretical framework to identify the evidentiary foundations necessary for regulating and commercialising plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes. This approach highlights the categories of empirical evidence that policymakers ought to consider to ensure the transition from problematic single-use plastics does not exacerbate existing environmental harms, social exclusions, or socio-economic inequalities. Using Ghana as a case study, the paper demonstrates how different justice perspectives - distributive, procedural, recognition-based, capabilities, and ecological - highlight distinct evidentiary factors for policymakers to consider in advancing the adoption of plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes. The paper's main contribution is an evidence map to guide the development of regulatory and commercialisation frameworks for plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes. Its originality lies in its re-framing of policy approaches to the regulation and commercialisation of plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes, as one that asks what specific kinds of evidence such policies should be built on.
More Papers Like This
A policy blueprint for scaling plastic alternatives in Global South contexts
AI summary Read the abstract
Plastic pollution hits poorer countries especially hard, but many nations struggle to roll out safer alternatives to plastic because of weak enforcement, limited funding, and disconnected policies. Using Ghana as a test case, researchers created a practical six-part roadmap—covering things like incentives, regulations, and public education—to help governments and businesses actually scale up plastic substitutes. This matters because less plastic waste means less of it breaking down into microplastics that end up in our water, food, and eventually our bodies, so smarter policy could translate into real reductions in human exposure over time.
Innovative Use of Plastic for a Clean and Sustainable Environmental Management: Learning Cases from Ghana, Africa
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper documents innovative approaches in Ghana where plastic waste is creatively converted into artifacts and pavement blocks rather than being discarded. The study suggests that these community-driven recycling initiatives help reduce plastic waste volumes, address urban drainage problems, and offer scalable learning cases for environmental sustainability in developing countries.
Plastic policy hypocrisies: evaluating the efficacy of bans and alternatives in the Eastern Caribbean
AI summary Read the abstract
This mixed-methods study critically examined plastic policy implementation in Caribbean small island developing states, using expert interviews and on-the-ground observations in Grenada. The research identified a 'plastic policy hypocrisy' where single-use plastic bans coexist with heavy dependence on plastic-packaged imports, arguing for holistic, context-sensitive, and regionally coordinated approaches rather than surface-level bans.
Microplastics in Ghana: An in-depth review of research, environmental threats, sources, and impacts on ecosystems and human health
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines the state of microplastic research in Ghana, finding that contamination is widespread across coastal areas, rivers, lakes, and forests. Most studies have focused on coastal environments, leaving significant knowledge gaps about inland pollution and its effects on the communities that depend on these ecosystems. The review calls for systematic policy frameworks and more targeted research to protect both ecosystems and human health in Ghana.
Macro impacts of plastic pollution in Ghana
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers applied qualitative system dynamics causal modelling to assess the macro-level impacts of plastic pollution in Ghana and West Africa, constructing a hierarchical framework linking high-level and low-level pollution effects across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The systems thinking approach aims to inform effective policy development for preventing and mitigating plastic pollution in the region.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.