Brand-Level Accountability for Indonesia's Plastic Crisis: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Civil-Society Audits, Producer Roadmaps, and Upcycling Enterprise Geography

Summary

Researchers tracked plastic waste pulled from rivers in Bali and East Java, matching trash brands to the companies that made them, and compared this to local recycling programs and corporate pollution-reduction pledges. This kind of brand-level tracking matters because plastic waste that ends up in rivers and oceans breaks down into microplastics, which have been found in human blood, lungs, and even placentas, so knowing which companies' products are polluting waterways helps hold them accountable and could push for better packaging and waste-management practices that reduce our exposure to these particles.